Trafford Adult AHP and Nursing Speciality Services Referral Rejections
Following a comprehensive study on referral rejections, key trends and underlying causes have been identified, leading to a series of actions aimed at improving the referral process. The objective is to minimise avoidable rejections, enhance service efficiency, and ensure timely patient care.
Key Findings
One of the primary issues identified is the use of outdated or inappropriate referral forms within the GP version of EMIS. Additionally, inconsistent naming conventions make it difficult for referrers to locate the required forms. A lack of awareness regarding acceptance criteria has also contributed to inappropriate referrals, leading to delays and inefficiencies.
Referral tracking has emerged as another challenge, with referrers facing long waits for updates. As SPoA is not a speciality triage service, it can only provide the status of referrals that have already been triaged by the respective speciality service. SPoA is unable to provide real-time updates on referrals still in the triage queue.
Most speciality services require service-specific details for processing referrals, so referrals must be processed using the appropriate referral forms created by the respective specialties. A generic form should only be used for services that do not have a specified referral form.
Data analysis from November 2024 to February 2025 revealed that while some rejections are unavoidable and genuine, a significant proportion could be prevented.
Avoidable rejections included inappropriate referrals, duplicate referrals, incomplete referrals, cases already active with another service, and referrals raised in error.
Notably during the above period, 47% of rejected referrals were raised by different GP services in Trafford.
Actions Taken
- Referral forms have been reviewed, updated, and published on the Trafford Directory Service
- A separate section highlighting the inclusion and exclusion criteria for each speciality has been added to assist referrers in determining the appropriateness of their submissions
- Service contact numbers have been updated
Next Steps and Actions Required
GPs and referrers are encouraged to check the inclusion criteria and latest version of the referral form on the Trafford Directory Service. Ensuring the correct forms are used will significantly reduce rejection rates and improve the efficiency of the referral process.
Regular evaluations and updates of referral forms and the Trafford Directory should be maintained to prevent the recurrence of outdated or inconsistent forms.