A.4/ GP referrals have changed, what does this mean for you?
in april 2026, the process gPs go through to make referrals is changing . this article will help you understand why that is important.
Many women wait years for diagnosis and treatment for their gynaecological conditions. The impact of which is included in a 2022 report conducted by the Royal Collage of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
The report named “Left Too Long” outlines the impact for women on Gynaecology waiting lists. 80% of women reported a worsening of their mental health and 77% reported that their ability to work and participate in social activities significantly decreased.
The amount of women on Gynaecology waiting lists has nearly doubled since this report in 2022 and Endometriosis UK recently reported that the time taken to diagnose Endometriosis from first GP visit has increased from 8 to 9 years. This means that referrals to specialists aren’t happening quickly enough or as frequently as they should be.
As of April 2026, GPs will no longer be able to make a referral straight to a hospital consultant. Now, GPs will be contractually required to use “Advice and Guidance” where GPs will need to ask a consultant for advice on a patients symptoms before making a referral. This will significantly impact how people, especially women, move from GP services to hospital care.
a.4/
GP referrals have changed, what does this mean for you?
Another important change is that instead of the referral going directly to consultants, they will now go to a regional single point of contact that will decide if that patient requires an appointment and checks for any administration errors contained in the referral which may result in a rejection.
The motive here is to reduce hospital waiting lists but this change may mean that people may wait longer to see a specialist and add an additional decision maker to this process. The change will impact everyone but it will disproportionately affect women as they already struggle to receive Gynaecology referrals in an appropriate time frame.
There is a gender bias when it comes to women’s health. from 2020-2022 gynaecology waiting lists grew more in percentage terms than any other (non-emergency) speciality.
The “Advice and Guidance” step could act as an additional barrier before seeing a consultant. Women can wait 9 years for diagnosis and now may have to go through many extra months whist their GP goes through the “Advice and Guidance” process.
Being aware of this change will help when talking to your GP but how can you make it work for you? If you think your symptoms require specialist input or you have visited the GP several times for the same symptoms or you don’t feel satisfied with the options offered, you can ask your GP to use this service. Please see A.2 “How to talk to your GP” for more information