Extracontractual referrals: safety valve or administrative paperchase?

Objective: To describe the extracontractual referrals of residents of a health authority during a six month period in 1994, identifying the number and cost of emergency and non-emergency referrals, including the number of cases costing more than 20,000 pounds and those cases when payment was refused.

Design: Descriptive analysis of all extracontractual referrals submitted to the health authority between 1 April and 30 September 1994.

Setting: A health authority covering a population of 614,000.

Extracontractual referrals in first three months of NHS reforms.

Objective: To describe the extracontractual referrals of residents of Merton and Sutton Health Authority during the first three months of the NHS reforms in terms of the nature of the referral (elective or emergency), the specialty referred to, and the source of and reason for referral.

Design: Descriptive analysis of all extracontractual referrals submitted to the health authority between 1 April and 30 June 1991.

Setting: Merton and Sutton Health Authority.