BECAUSE of a significant increase in referrals Bury and Rochdale Health Authorities are being recommended to defer some patients until the next financial year. The recommendation came at a meeting of the authorities yesterday (Wednesday) as the Journal went to press.

In a report to the meeting Evan Boucher, the Authorities' director of strategic planning and commissioning, said:

"The overall position is that despite careful management it has not been possible to reduce the level of extra contractual referrals."

Adding that the GP appointed to review aspects of ECR expenditure is to produce his first report shortly with a view to potentially changing the policy in 1996-97, Mr Boucher specified in his recommendation:

"In the circumstances it is recommended that where possible - subject to not exceeding the patient charters standard, or affecting the clinical condition of the patient - that elective referrals are deferred until the new financial year."

Between April and December last year the two joint authorities dealt with a total of 2,132 referrals. Emergencies numbered 491, elective 1,375, and tertiary 266.

Their allocated budget for ECR spending is £1.98 million - but that includes regional cash for high-tech health care at home.

The April-December period shows a potential overspend of £437,000.

And the resons, Mr Boucher reports, are a seven per cent increase in the number of referrals and a significant 170 per cent in tertiary referrals.

The two authorities had emergencies that cost them £100,000, and two "high cost activities" totalling £90,000.

They dealt with 21 higher cost emergencies, each costing more than £5,000, with cost a total of £155,000.

They also paid for ten continuing care, high dependency patients at various hospitals at a total monthly cost of £64,662 from the ECR budget.

And they also had a one-off cost of £18,000 for one patient who was referred to a psychiatric hospital.

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