The proportion of general practitioner referrals to a hospital Respiratory Medicine clinic suitable to be seen in a GPwSI Respiratory Clinic

This small study has shown that at least a fifth of GP referrals to a hospital Respiratory Medicine clinic could be seen in a suitably resourced GPwSI clinic, with consequent reductions in hospital outpatient waiting lists and improved accessibility for patients. This finding will be of interest to potential commissioners of GPwSI services especially with the advent of Practice-based Commissioning.