Two referral routes to physio - only one is free

THE way patients can be referred for physiotherapy is potentially confusing, according to a British Medical Association spokesman.

Dr Brian Parkin (pictured) said there had been concern for some time that two types of referral procedure could see some patients pay for physiotherapy while others got it free.

An independent report published yesterday said that direct patient referrals from GPs to the Guernsey Physiotherapy Group without the input of consultants at the Medical Specialist Group should be considered.

At the moment, if a patient needing physiotherapy was referred by a GP and kept in the primary care sector, the treatment was charged for.

But if that patient was referred by a GP to an MSG consultant, who then referred them on to the GPG, they would receive the treatment free of charge.

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