The new EPR will introduce a single, streamlined process for making and managing inpatient referrals to specialist services. This demo gives an overview of the process.
Watch: the inpatient referral board demo
Many referrals that are currently made on paper or through different digital systems will be placed directly through the EPR, helping teams to manage requests and track their progress in one connected system.
Staff will be able to select the appropriate referral service, choose whether it is routine or urgent, and provide the information needed for the receiving team to triage the request. Once submitted, referrals will appear on the relevant service’s referral board, where they can be reviewed, triaged and accepted.
Receiving teams can assign patients to their team list for ongoing care and close the referral once it has been actioned. Referral boards will also show outstanding requests, helping teams manage their workload and patient flow.
The EPR will give different members of the multidisciplinary team access to relevant, up-to-date patient information, with alerts and key information visible when needed. This is intended to support faster decision-making, improve communication and reduce time spent navigating multiple systems.
The referral process will cover the range of specialist services currently available across the three trusts, with access and functionality tailored to staff roles.
Key points
- One referral process: The EPR will replace existing paper and electronic processes for inpatient referrals.
- Quick and focused: Referral forms capture the essential information the receiving team needs to triage a request.
- Routine or urgent: Staff will be able to clearly identify the priority of each referral when placing it.
- Live referral boards: Specialist teams will see new referrals in their work queue, helping them identify and act on requests.
- Clear ownership: Once a referral is accepted, the patient can be added to the relevant team list for ongoing care and the referral closed.
- Live patient information: Teams will have access to live patient information, alerts and key clinical information to support decision-making.
- Less time searching: The EPR aims to reduce the need to switch between systems or chase information from other teams.
- More referral types: The system is being built to include referrals to the specialist services currently available across the three trusts.