Nearly 60,000 people didn’t get to see a specialist after a referral from their GP last year for an operation or other treatment.
About 675,000 people were referred by their GP for a first specialist assessment in 2016. Of those, it is correct that about 60,000 people had their referral declined (and another 10,000 were declined because their GP didn't provide enough information - they may well have re-applied and been accepted in a subsequent month). Of those who were declined, about 27,000 (46 percent) were turned down because they didn't meet the threshold - basically, the level of seriousness your condition has to reach before you can get a specialist appointment. The Ministry of Health defines this category as patients where "the referral is appropriate and the patient would benefit from an assessment but the referral is below the DHB's capacity threshold". So, those 27,000 people needed an appointment but missed out, because our health system couldn't afford it or couldn't cope with that demand. Another 29,000 (50 percent) were turned down because specialist services assessed their referrals and decided that a specialist appointment was "not required" - either because they didn't need an appointment, or their condition could be treated by a GP, or the appointment was unlikely to benefit them. Verdict: Fact, but only half of those who missed out unquestionably needed the appointment
Fact or Fiction: Which health claims are quackery?
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