Thousands of patients in the North East and Yorkshire are receiving personalised healthcare quicker, and closer to home, thanks to a new government scheme that enables family doctors to get specialist advice directly.

The Advice and Guidance scheme allows GPs to contact hospital specialists swiftly for expert guidance on patient cases. This avoids patients joining hospital waiting lists unnecessarily, and enables them to be redirected to appropriate treatment in the community. Under the scheme, GPs can contact hospital specialists electronically for clinical advice about patients.

In April 2025, more than 43,000 specialist advice requests were processed in the North East and Yorkshire, and there were nearly 24,000 redirections to appropriate treatments – the highest across all regions in England. This was an 8% increase in the number of requests processed in April 2024.

At Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust more than 3,100 advice requests from GPs were processed in April, which resulted in more than 1,000 patients getting appropriate healthcare quicker.

In the trust’s gastroenterology department, patients with liver, stomach and bowel conditions are benefiting from the Advice and Guidance programme. As well as meaning faster care for patients, it has saved them time and money – by avoiding the need to travel up to 80 miles for a potentially unnecessary hospital appointment.

Dr Matt Warren and Dr Richard Thomson, consultant gastroenterologists at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are proud and delighted the work we have been doing with our GPs is reflected in the trust performance.

“We have made the most of digital health records and modern diagnostics to get specialist opinions to GPs more quickly. This means patients are getting faster, personalised, and effective care.

“Putting patients first is our guiding principle and this new way of collaborating feels professionally rewarding. We are committed to continuing to learn and improve the services for our patients.”

In England 99% of GP practices are registered for the Advice and Guidance scheme which forms part of the government’s Plan for Change, which sets out how the government will get patients seen quicker and make the NHS fit for the future.