BWC WMCPC Digital Referral Solution - Market Engagement

The West Midlands CAMHS Provider Collaborative (WMCPC) has scoped options to enhance its referral process through digital innovation. This appraisal assesses three alternatives to replace the current manual, email-based system, which is inefficient and plagued by a high rate of returned referrals due to missing or incorrect information.
The current referral method, which involves filling out and emailing a Word document (Form 1), is labour intensive and error prone. This approach has led to a substantial administrative burden, consuming upwards of 105 hours each month to ensure the sufficiency of information for clinical gatekeeping.
The referral hub faces significant challenges, with 68% of referrals requiring resubmission due to incomplete or erroneous information. The iterative nature of the existing process introduces delays and inefficiencies, affecting the prompt placement of patients and taxing resources. With the impending expansion of services to include an additional seven Integrated Care Boards from September 2023, the need for a robust digital solution is pressing.