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Pitfalls and potential dangers in the referral process to a specialist brain injury unit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jay Kuruvatti
Affiliation:
Lishman Brain Injury Unit, Maudsley Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AZ, email: jaykuruvatti@hotmail.com
Simon Fleminger
Affiliation:
Lishman Brain Injury Unit, Maudsley Hospital, London
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Abstract

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Aims and Methods

We looked retrospectively at referrals over 1 year and determined the length of time from receipt of the referral to the date when authorisation to see the patient was given, and the time from authorisation to first contact. For in-patients we determined the time from the recommendation for admission to the time authorisation was granted, and the time from authorisation to admission.

Results

Of the 108 referrals, 80 (74%) were seen within 13 weeks (mean=53 days); 7 patients (6%) had to wait over 13 weeks, usually because of delays in authorisation; 10 patients were admitted; 14 were never admitted (although we had recommended admission). The time from recommendation to admit to authorisation of admission, 27 days, was the same as the time they waited for a bed once authorisation had been given.

Clinical Implications

Waiting for authorisation seemed in some patients to delay their access to tertiary services. Any advantage of using panels to authorise referrals, like ensuring better use of local resources, may be outweighed by patients taking longer to get the care that best meets their needs.

Type
Original papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2008

References

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Fleminger, S., Leigh, E. & Mccarthy, C. (2006) The size of demand for specialised neuropsychiatric services: rates of referrals to neuropsychiatric services in the South Thames Region of the United Kingdom. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 18, 121128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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