The Royal Free Hospital’s advanced clinical practitioner team: Sian Bamford, Emma Brooks, Dee Austin and Nicola Akehurst

THE Royal Free has set up a clinic where those suffering back pain can see a spinal expert without a GP referral.

The scheme, which has been running as a pilot since August, aims to shorten the time patients have to wait to get the right treatment.

The Hampstead hospital says a small number of patients attending the clinic so far have needed to be referred for further appointments for MRIs or X-rays in the hospital.

Nicola Akehurst, clinical lead of the project, said: “The patient self-referral project was an idea that has developed over many years from our experience of treating patients with back pain.”