Interface concerns
When a hospital or other provider passes work back to general practice, or a referral, result or letter goes wrong, tell us. It takes a few minutes, gives your practice a ready-made email to the provider, and helps BLMC show the ICB and providers where the system is failing practices and patients.
⚠ No patient details in the form. Do not put names, NHS numbers or dates of birth in the form: it goes to BLMC. You add the NHS number only to the email you forward to the provider (step 3), and do not copy BLMC in once it is added. This route is for processing problems, not urgent clinical concerns.
How it works
- Tell us what happened using the short form. Pick your PCN and practice, the theme and what went wrong.
- Get a draft email to the right provider inbox, with the relevant BSOL principles and NHS Standard Contract wording already in it.
- Check it, add the NHS number and forward it to the provider yourself. This is the only place patient details go. Do not copy BLMC in once the NHS number is added.
- Tell us the outcome when you hear back, or after two weeks if you hear nothing. It takes about a minute.
We log every report and take the themes to the BSol interface meetings, and raise them directly with providers, the ICB and other bodies. We do not take up individual cases for you.
What you can report
Six themes, each with short options that say who did what. A few examples:
Referrals and access
- A referral was rejected or returned
- A patient was removed from a waiting list
- The practice couldn’t get urgent advice or get through
Tests and results
- The practice was asked to arrange or chase a test the provider ordered
- A result arrived with no note of what had been done
- A scan or test was declined without a clear reason
Prescribing and medicines
- A patient was sent to the GP for a medicine the provider could prescribe
- Shared care without an agreed arrangement
- Discharge without enough medication
Discharge and follow up
- No clear follow up plan
- Follow up that belongs to the provider passed to the practice
- Post-surgery checks sent to the GP
Communication and access
- Letters late, missing, unclear or sent to the wrong place
- Patients left unsure what happens next
- The practice asked for information the provider already holds
Unresourced work
- Fit notes not issued
- Forms or admin passed to the practice
- Clinical tasks general practice isn’t funded to do
What practices are telling us
Once reports start coming in, we’ll publish the main themes here, so practices can see what is being raised and what has changed as a result.
| Theme | Reports | Most common issue |
|---|---|---|
| Referrals and access | – | – |
| Tests and results | – | – |
| Prescribing and medicines | – | – |
| Discharge and follow up | – | – |
| Communication and access | – | – |
| Unresourced work | – | – |
Questions about this service: birmingham.lmc@nhs.net