Controlling the confusion: management of referrals into mental health services for older adults

Abstract

This article describes the establishment of a clinician as a referral coordinator to manage referrals into a typical mental health service for older adults. The referral coordinator model, which include risk assessment at the point of referral and accurate comprehensive collection of referrer data, is compared with other traditional and more recent models of referral management. The importance of thorough collation of clinical information to produce a preliminary risk assessment and the stages of development of an algorithm as a core requirement to guide the coordinator and ensure consistency over time are described. An initial analysis of local referrer data and trends over a period of 3 years is presented to emphasise the educational opportunities offered by taking control of referral management.