As part of the national waiting list initiative, a retrospective survey of routine referrals in seven specialties to Lincoln County Hospital by general practitioners within its catchment area, during the months of January to March 1987 inclusive, was carried out, using data from the hospital's Patient Administration System and the Lincolnshire Family Practitioner Committee. These specialties were identified by managers and clinicians as those in which a significant problem of waiting times and waiting lists existed, both as perceived locally and in comparison with other districts. The total referral rate for all GPs in the study was 9·6 referrals/100 patients on their list/year, which is very close to the average of other studies published elsewhere in the country on this topic. However, the range of referral rates between practices was very wide, varying from 2·8 to 17·6. There were also wide variations within individual practices. It is therefore concluded that, taken overall, ‘over-referral’ by general practitioners is not the cause of any problem at Lincoln County Hospital. However, the wide variation of referral patterns has been of great interest to the general practitioners themselves. They have requested that referral rates be fed back to them routinely, in the manner of the Prescription Pricing Authority, and this will commence shortly. In addition, a working group of orthopaedic surgeons and general practitioner representatives has met to discuss the implications of the study, and the drawing up of mutually agreed referral protocols, the operation of which would be monitored jointly. The setting up of similar groups in the other specialties is under active consideration.