The government recently made amendments to the Covid-19 Workplace Restrictions Order preventing various therapies being delivered unless it was either provided by a doctor, or the patient had received a referral to have it carried out privately.
This prompted calls from therapists to be allowed to practise without referrals, as they believed they should be considered essential to health, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Health Minister Richard Renouf confirmed this week that when ‘close-contact’ services reopen, a move currently scheduled for 3 February, patients would no longer need referral notes.
However, he added that the plans were under constant review and that the measures would only be relaxed if infection rates remained stable.
