Integrated Mental Health Day Service - Single Referral Pathway
The Establishment of a Single Referral Pathway
Over the last four years consultation with stakeholders and internal audit had shown that there was room for some improvement. Primary Care colleagues reported difficulty in navigating numerous referral processes and maintaining an adequate knowledge of all available services; this in turn caused a high level of misdirected referrals and resulting capacity issues for some teams. Service users reported concerns about poor timeframes to access provision, inter-service referral issues and some duplication and repetition when moving between services.
Between 2003 and 2008, significant efforts were made to rectify these issues and there have been considerable improvements in service performance. Primary care colleagues entered into a joint consultation and planning process and worked in partnership to establish a framework to maintain and improve practice.
January 2007 saw the introduction of the Single Referral Pathway, a gateway to all community mental health provision within Clackmannanshire, regardless of it being NHS, local authority or core voluntary sector provision.
Referrals are received through the gateway and are discussed at a multi-agency meeting, then allocated accordingly. In the event of any ambiguity, a joint assessment is completed. If a referral is mistakenly directed, an informal referral process is in place to transfer the client from one service to another with minimal disruption and loss of time. This single point of referral offers clear timeframes for response, whether it is urgent or routine in nature.
This simplified process allows resources to be managed more effectively and for duplication of effort to be reduced; all services in preparation were reviewed and their remits clarified. Individuals referred to us benefit from a more 'streamlined' and efficient experience and have greater choice with regards to the support available to them.
The objective is for services to work collectively to establish a systematic approach to care, and a shared solution to population demand. All referrals are received by the SRP administrator and discussed within a multi-agency referral meeting on a weekly basis. The referral is then allocated to the most appropriate service and progressed.
Feedback from service users, GPs and other stakeholders has been very positive mainly due to the improvement in ease of access, timeframes and service delivery.
Monitoring and Evaluation
A full performance framework is in place which monitors all aspects of care, ensuring standards are maintained and improved where possible. These reports, alongside the views of service users and partners inform managers when there is a need to change. We are also in the process of employing a researcher to evaluate quality assurance systems which will allow us to gauge the difference we have made to a person's wellbeing following support.
Contact information
For further information about this page please contact:
Service Manager Mental Health Joint Provision, Adult Care
Lime Tree House, Castle Street, Alloa, FK10 1EX
Tel: 01259 452376 / 450000
Email: integratedmentalhealth@clacks.gov.uk
Or use the on-line contact form.