Creating a Referral

Last updated: 16 April 2026

Creating a Referral

The referral creation form is a multi-step process for sending a structured referral to another service or specialist.

How to Get There

  • Clinical Record > Referrals > Add Referral
  • Within a consultation > Referral action button

Referral Mode

Choose the type of referral:

  • Named consultant - refer to a specific clinician or contact
  • Open referral - refer to a service without specifying a particular person

Service and Specialty

Search for the service or specialty using SNOMED terminology. Common specialties are pre-populated for quick selection:

  • Dermatology, Cardiology, Trauma & Orthopaedics, Gastroenterology, Neurology, ENT, Ophthalmology

Use the search field for specialties not in the pre-populated list.

Contact Selection

For named consultant referrals, select the recipient:

  • Recent contacts - quick-select chips for contacts you have referred to recently
  • Search - find contacts by name or organisation
  • Add new contact - create a new contact record inline if the recipient is not yet in the system

Contact details displayed include title, specialty, organisation, email, phone, address, and registration body.

Reasons for Referral

Specify why the patient is being referred:

  • Patient problems - the patient's active problems are automatically available for selection
  • SNOMED search - search for additional clinical findings or reasons
  • Multiple reasons can be selected

Priority

Set the urgency of the referral:

Priority When to Use
Stat Immediate, life-threatening
ASAP As soon as possible
Urgent Needs attention within days
Routine Standard non-urgent referral

Consultation Linking

If created from within a consultation, the referral is automatically linked. You can also search for and link a completed consultation by date, clinician, or problem.

Notes

Add free-text information to provide additional context for the receiving service.

Tip: Use the recent contacts chips for specialists you refer to frequently. This saves time compared to searching each time.