Referral to consultants--the National Health Service versus private practice.

In a three-month audit of referrals to consultants by 18 general practitioners, a wide variation in individual doctor's referral rates was observed. The rate for private referral varied between doctors to a remarkable degree. Referrals made privately were twice as likely as NHS referrals to have been initiated by the patient. Private referrals were perceived by the doctors to have been no less worth-while than NHS referrals. The holding of private health insurance by patients was a factor in a third of private referrals.