20 April 2023

An updated version of joint guidance from NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and Outpatient Recovery and Transformation (OPRT) programmes is available to download, now including guidance for rheumatology and endocrinology and updating the resources for several other specialties and themes.

The latest version has been co-badged by the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland and more than 20 other professional societies, and is available here.

The GIRFT/OPRT Clinically-led specialty outpatient guidance was originally shared in November 2022 to offer a concise summary of available advice, as well as resources and top tips for reducing long waits for outpatient appointments and improving patient care.

The guidance specifically highlights actions services can take to reduce the demand for outpatient appointments, and focuses on the surgical and medical specialties with the highest number of +78 week waits. It also offers support for common themes and challenges in outpatient services, such as remote consultation, reducing DNAs, and implementing patient initiated follow-up (PIFU).

Updates in the latest version include new sections for rheumatology and endocrinology, additional advice for geriatric medicine and ophthalmology, and updates on the use of LCAD (Latest Clinically Appropriate Date) to determine the latest date that a patient should attend their next follow-up appointment.

Download the new guidance

 

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