The universal GP Training website for everyone, not just Bradford.   Created in 2002 by Dr Ramesh Mehay

REFERRALS

Why is it important to review my referrals and referral letters?

Essentially to ensure you are conveying the right amount of information in the appropriate context when communicating with colleagues. Your colleagues cannot make the right decisions without the necessary information. If you’re the one who is referring, the onus is on you to put the specialist in the picture.    The diagram on the right lays out the essential ingredients of a good referral letter.

  • When you decide to refer – your reasons for doing so come under the professional comptency “Making Diagnosis & Decisions”.
  • The content of your referral letter relates to the professional competency “Communication Skills”

Is referrals an official part of MRCGP assessments?

No, there is not specific MRCGP assessment that focuses on referrals alone.  But we think it’s a good thing to do at some point in your training period.  Hence making these resources available to you and your trainer – to make it easier and educationally enjoyable!

How do you suggest we look at my referral letters?

There’s a referral assessment tools folder in the downloads section of this page.   There, you will find assessment tools  you can use to help figure out how good your letters are and how you can make them better.

  • One way to do it is to look at a minimum of 3 random letters during your GP post with your trainer.  
  • Alternatively, why not suggest holding weekly practice referrals meeting – so that other docs learn too and you can learn from them.  For this to work though, it is essential that members read out their letter word for word and not to expand on the case before the letter is read out in its entirety. That helps to decide whether there is enough information placed in appropriate context. Many practices these days hold referral meetings. If yours doesn’t, why not suggest it? Take the lead.

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How IT ALL STARTED
WHAT WE'RE ABOUT
WHO ARE WE FOR?

Bradford VTS was created by Dr. Ramesh Mehay, a Programme Director for Bradford GP Training Scheme back in 2001. Over the years, it has seen many permutations.  At the time, there were very few resources for GP trainees and their trainers so Bradford decided to create one FOR EVERYONE. 

So, we see Bradford VTS as  the INDEPENDENT vocational training scheme website providing a wealth of free medical resources for GP trainees, their trainers and TPDs everywhere and anywhere.  We also welcome other health professionals – as we know the site is used by both those qualified and in training – such as Associate Physicians, ANPs, Medical & Nursing Students. 

Our fundamental belief is to openly and freely share knowledge to help learn and develop with each other.  Feel free to use the information – as long as it is not for a commercial purpose.   

We have a wealth of downloadable resources and we also welcome copyright-free educational material from all our users to help build our rich resource (send to bradfordvts@gmail.com).

Our sections on (medical) COMMUNICATION SKILLS and (medical) TEACHING & LEARNING are perhaps the best and most comprehensive on the world wide web (see white-on-black menu header section on the homepage).

4th February 2024 

WHAT's HAPPENING?

Here are some updates planned over the next 6 months

  1. Updating the SCA exam pages with cases and videos.
  2. Clinical Specialty areas all being updated with current guidance and easy to understand diagrams and flow charts.
  3. Videos being created for some of the pages for those of you who prefer to watch than read.
  4. We’ve got some bradfordvts helpers to contribute and develop their own pages or areas of interest.  If you would like to be a bradfordvts helper, email me rameshmehay@googlemail.com
  5. We provide all of this for free. But it costs us money to run.  If you could kindly donate something, that would be great.  We do all of this for you.   Please hit the button below. xxx