Allocation of referrals within a child and adolescent mental health service

Abstract

Long waiting lists are a common problem in child and adolescent mental health services. We describe how referrals to the service in York are considered and allocated by a multi-disciplinary team. The criteria for allocation to different professionals and specialist teams are described and data representing a snapshot of referrals and response rate over a three-month period presented, showing that most referrals are seen within two months. We postulate that consideration of referrals in this way is an effective and efficient way of running a service.