To support the members considering self referral the CSP has developed a range of ‘Implementation tools’. These tools should be used in conjunction with the guidance on self-referral developed by Holdsworth & Webster (Holdsworth L and Webster V (2006) Patient Self Referral, a guide for therapists (Allied Health Professions - Essential Guides). Radcliffe Publishing Limited: Oxford).
Our toolkit comprises:
- Making the case for self referral: this guidance supports members in structuring a dialogue with commissioners. Since self referral does not lead to an increase in activity, services do not need to develop a business case, but rather a service improvement plan. This plan includes being able to assess the new self referral service against key performance indicators such as safety, timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, co-ordination and patient-centeredness.
- Are you ready for self referral checklist: this sets out the key steps which services need to complete in order to implement self referral effectively. It is in a question and answer format, and includes recommendations from those with experience of self referral. It contains an extensive section on maximizing marketing and advertising opportunities.
- Data collection tool: This guidance is based on the experiences of those physiotherapists with expertise in data collection and the development of datasets. It includes a section on recommended baseline data, and what to collect if this data does not exist in the service. Based on the ‘vital signs’ recommended in the World Class Commissioning guidance, there is a standard data collection proforma for self referral.
Further resources, including a PowerPoint presentation and patient leaflet and poster files, are available on our Self-referral page.