The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is set to publish guidelines for the threshold for GP patient referrals.

The publication of the guidelines will change the prominence of the institute's role in primary care.

NICE's usual responsibilities include making decisions about the cost and effectiveness of medication, and the publication of clinical guidance.

The publication by the new coalition government of the White Paper showed the institute will take on board more responsibility.

It is set to publish the 150 quality standards that will make up the core of the new NHS Outcomes Framework.

NICE chief executive Andrew Dillon said the institute would be responsible for publishing guidelines for referral thresholds to ensure GPs avoided "inappropriate" referrals.

"We are aware that referrals are a big priority now for the NHS. One of the key decisions that GPs will make in their new role as budget holders is when to refer to secondary care."

"It’s not telling doctors what to do. It’s the evidence of when referrals offer significant gains for patients. We will be culling information from existing guidance and we hope they are useful in the new world of GP commissioning as they are now", he added.