HEALTH chiefs have defended the decision to stop GPs from sending patients for routine scans.

NHS South West Essex is one of a handful of primary care trusts in the UK to remove family doctors powers to send patients for costly CT and MRI scans without the backing of a specialist.

But they stress for urgent referrals in the case of suspected cancer patients have not been restricted and never will be.

Dr Anil Chopra, medical director at NHS South West Essex, spoke out after what he called “alarmist headlines” appeared in a national newspaper stating some health trusts such as NHS South West Essex were gambling with patients’ lives by restricting access to scans.

Dr Chopra said this was not the case, stressing: “Urgent referrals, for example to confirm or rule out a cancer diagnosis, have not been restricted in any way.

“Referrals for CT scans or any other diagnostic are dealt with as a matter of priority, based on clinical need and within the two week referral deadline.

“It has always been the case that cancer referrals are made to a specialist consultant for consideration – this is clinically appropriate and in line with best practice.”

Until last autumn GPs working for NHS South West Essex – which covers Basildon and Thurrock boroughs – could refer patients directly for MRI and CT scans if they wanted to.

But this led to “disproportionately high level” of routine referrals being ordered compared to other PCTs across the UK.

Last year NHS South West Essex was forced to introduce a swathe of cuts after overspending on its budget by £50 million.

Tightening up on referrals for scans and appointments with hospital specialists in non urgent cases were among the changes brought in as part of a ‘turnaround programme’.

CT scans use X-rays to create detailed images of the inside the body while MRI scans can diagnose health conditions that affect organs, tissue and bone, such as cancerous tumours.

MRI scans costs the NHS £259 a time to carry out, while CT scans cost £179.

Dr Chopra added how the previous system of GPs ordering the tests cost the taxpayer uneccessary cash.

He said: “This system led to duplication as patients would be scanned again once they reached secondary care at the hospital.”

He added how the new system could even improve the speed in which an patient would be seen in the most series cases.