GPs warn over scoring system for calling ambulances for patients

A scoring system designed to identify deteriorating patients in secondary care is “creeping” into primary care, despite a lack of evidence for its use in community settings, GPs have warned.

GPs are being asked to provide a score when calling for an ambulance for a patient and are concerned that this is being used to decide how urgently their patient needs an ambulance, over-riding their clinical judgment.

The issue was raised at the Royal College for General Practitioners’ council meeting on 20 September, where members voiced concern about the lack of evidence for using NEWS2, an updated version of the National Early Warning Score, in primary care.

The scoring system is used to identify and respond to patients at risk of deteriorating. It is based on six physiological measures: respiratory rate, …