Benefits - realising the NHS e-Referral Service benefits

Find out the how the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) benefits different users.

Introduction

The NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS) application is not just a technical process. It is about redesigning outpatient referral pathways across Primary and Secondary care to improve the patient outcomes and experience. The main challenges and benefits come from incorporating the technical tools with the clinical and business processes to ensure that all patients are offered clinically appropriate choices, and their referral is managed in accordance with their needs. e-RS creates benefits throughout the referral process for patients and the NHS. It results in a better patient experience due to greater certainty of appointment, and a better experience throughout the NHS. A more efficient referral system reduces burden and eliminates much of the paperwork and time lag associated with non-electronic referrals. As well as transforming the patient experience of the NHS, clinicians and NHS staff will also see real benefits.

The vision

The creation of a smart referral ecosystem, planning and directing patients to the right care, at the right time, in the most appropriate setting; an ecosystem which supports patients to access a wider range of health and wellbeing services to reduce the growing demand burden on services, across the continuum of care.

The mission

Our mission is to deliver an any-to-any booking, triage, referral and appointment management ecosystem for health and social care, that is the first choice for care professionals, administrators, and health systems by 2025.

Benefits for primary care clinicians (GPs and GDPs) and their practice staff

referrers have a full directory of all the secondary care services available under Free Choice via the Directory of Services as well as those services locally commissioned by their Integrated Care Board
where they are unable to complete the booking themselves at the time of the appointment, referrers and practice staff can direct the patient to use the e-RS patient booking website (Manage your Referral), which is also available via the NHS App, or the (telephone) Appointments Line
flexibility in e-RS means the referral process can be adapted to suit different working conditions
referrers can identify services with shortest waiting times through service selection.
referrers can access service specific guidance to help them to shortlist the most appropriate services and to highlight any helpful preliminary investigations
referrers are able to seek advice and guidance from specialists prior to, or instead of sending a referral, supporting the development of better referral pathways and closer collaboration with secondary care colleagues
referrers and practice staff can track the progress of a patient’s referral through the e-RS
referrers and their practice staff have much greater access to their patients' care management plans, ensuring that the correct appointments are made
referrers and practice staff see a reduction in the amount of time spent on the paper chase and bureaucracy associated with previous manual referral processes

Benefits for secondary care consultants and booking staff

consultants have the opportunity, through the use of advice and guidance, of a dialogue with referrers to ensure patients are booked into the most appropriate clinic
consultants can convert advice and guidance requests (if authorised) into referrals, saving time by not having to return the referral to the GP to do this
consultants have the opportunity to provide clinic specific details to referrers (in the Directory of Service) before referral, enabling improved quality referral information
consultants are able to access the referral information through e-RS and action it accordingly
consultants will see a reduction in the number of patient Did Not Attends (DNAs) who don't turn up for appointments because patients have chosen the place, date and time of their appointment
consultants receive fewer inappropriate referrals because clinics are carefully defined, and referrers can seek advice prior to referral if there is any doubt about which clinic to refer to
consultants have a secure audit trail
consultants and booking staff will see a reduction in the administrative burden of chasing hospital appointments on behalf of patients
consultants can review and process referrals securely online, removing the need for paper referrals and their inherent risks

Benefits relating to clinical governance and patient experience

Increased provision of services which are convenient to patients

The journey through the NHS is increasingly patient focused. Appointments and admissions are made in discussion with the patient to get a mutually suitable date and time.

Reduced Anxiety

Waiting to hear about appointments is a key concern for all patients. The electronic booking of appointments provides patients with more certainty. This helps them make arrangements and plan for the appointment. The key benefit is not having to wait weeks to receive a letter which tells the patient when their appointment will be.

Increased Referral Security

Confidence that the referral information reaches the hospital and that the information contained is protected by a series of stringent access controls and information governance. There is the ability to link and update referrals with up-to-date clinical developments.

Reduction in DNAs

When patients are given a choice of date and time for their appointments, they are more likely to attend. This leads to fewer wasted appointments and helps to improve the overall efficiency of outpatient clinics.

Reduction in non-clinical primary care consultations

The amount of time spent by administrative support staff in responding to patients' enquiries about the progress of referrals is huge. In some cases, a patient will book an appointment with their referrer specifically to enquire about their referral. This reduces the amount of clinical time available in a practice. Eliminating this administrative burden brings an immediate benefit in primary care for patients, referrers, and practice staff.

Reliable and comprehensive clinical information

Referral information from primary care systems will be made available to hospital clinicians in a legible and consistent format, along with relevant patient information supplied by referrer and hospital systems.

Last edited: 30 May 2023 3:47 pm