NHS e-Referral Service
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The NHS e-Referral Service (ERS) is an electronic referral system developed for the Health and Social Care Information Centre by IT consultancy BJSS. It is used by NHS England and it replaced the Choose and Book service on 15 June 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://healthcare.governmentcomputing.com/news/choose-and-book-replacement-to-launch-on-monday-4597811|title=News Archives - Government Computing Network}} The launch of the e-Referral service is intended to be a step towards achieving paperless referrals in the English NHS.
History
The release date was delayed by seven months from that originally announced after it failed an assessment by the Government Digital Service.{{cite news|title=NHS delays e-Referral service launch until 2015|url=http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/public-sector/3575309/nhs-delays-e-referral-service-launch-until-2015/|accessdate=14 October 2014|publisher=Computerworld|date=6 October 2014}} When released there were 33 ‘known issues".{{cite news|title=NHS admits 33 'known issues' with e-Referral service launched today|url=http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/applications/nhs-warns-of-33-known-issues-with-e-referral-service-launched-today-3615745/|accessdate=13 July 2015|publisher=Computerworld|date=15 June 2015}} The system went live on Monday 15 Jun 2015, but on 17 June it was shut down and GPs across England resorted to fax machines in order to refer patients.{{cite news|title=For fax's sake: Medic chaos as e-Referrals system goes offline|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/17/nhs_pulls_plug_on_ereferrals_system/|accessdate=13 July 2015|publisher=The register|date=17 June 2015}} After launch, the system experienced numerous outages in its first weeks.{{Cite web|url=http://healthcare.governmentcomputing.com/news/system-outages-continues-to-mar-nhs-e-referral-service-4620573|title = News Archives - Government Computing Network}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/13/ereferral_woes_continue/|title = BZZZT! NHS e-Referral system flatlines again}} In July 2015 users were advised to switch to Google Chrome in order to reduce the four-minute loading time to 50 seconds. Of the 28 known issues at that date, 23 have a simple workaround that can be used which are published on the website, according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre.{{cite news|title=BZZZT! NHS e-Referral system flatlines again|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/13/ereferral_woes_continue/|accessdate=13 July 2015|publisher=The register|date=13 July 2015}}
19 Trusts were fully using the system. From October 2018 it is to be used for all out-patient referrals, and it is hoped that this will halve the number of missed appointments and generate savings of at least £50 million.{{cite news|title=Mandatory electronic patient referrals to save NHS millions|url=http://www.healthcareleadernews.com/mandatory-electronic-patient-referrals-to-save-nhs-millions/|accessdate=27 May 2018|publisher=Healthcare Leader|date=27 March 2017}}
Operation
The NHS e-Referral Service supports referrals to secondary care by GPs. It allows users to choose the date and time of an appointment.{{Cite web|last=Morriss|first=Emma|date=2018-12-14|title=NHS e-Referral Service makes its 100 millionth online booking|url=https://pharmafield.co.uk/healthcare/nhs-e-referral-service-makes-its-100-millionth-online-booking/|access-date=2021-09-24|website=Pharmafield|language=en-GB}}
References
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External links
- [http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourchoices/appointment-booking/Pages/about-the-referral-system.aspx NHS Choices - What is NHS e-Referral Service]
- [http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Yourchoices/appointment-booking/Pages/how-to-book-an-appointment.aspx NHS e-Referral Service Booking Appointments FAQ]
Category:National Health Service (England)
Category:Government services web portals in the United Kingdom