The government is expanding a scheme to enable people to access healthcare in the community or closer to their homes rather than having to go to hospital.

The Advice and Guidance scheme is to be expanded, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said, with the aim being to stop people languishing on long NHS waiting lists and so, potentially, get back into the workplace more quickly.

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The scheme enables GPs to work more closely with hospital specialists to access expert advice quickly and speed their patients through the system, so they get care in the right place as soon as possible, the DHSC said.

The aim is that patients are directed to more appropriate community care – such as being prescribed medication, accessing blood tests or scans via their GP, or receiving care in a local women’s health hub or community physio service – rather than being put on long NHS waiting lists, it added.

The expansion follows data showing that, between July and December last year, the scheme led to 660,000 treatments being diverted away from hospitals and into the community, a 60,000 increase on the same period the previous year.

Examples of where the scheme can make a difference include women seeking gynaecological care, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatment for menopause symptoms, the DHSC said.

By accessing advice rather than referring to gynaecologists, GPs can prevent people from being added to the secondary care waiting list for gynaecological care, which stands at more than 580,000.

Similarly, for patients with ear, nose and throat (ENT) issues, 30% of referrals to secondary care currently included many conditions that can be managed in an out-of-hospital setting, such as including tinnitus, ear-wax removal, and simple ear infections, the DHSC said. Again, as of February, the waiting list for ENT services was 634,000.

Health minister Karin Smyth said: “By caring for patients closer to home, we save time and stop masses of people having to head to hospital for unnecessary appointments in the first place.

“We are rewiring the NHS so that we are doing things differently, more efficiently and delivering better outcomes for patients. This scheme is a perfect example of how we are saving patients time and reducing pressure on key NHS services in the process,” she added.

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