Make sure every referral has an administrative owner

What this means for your practice

Create a clear received state and a named administrative owner. Acknowledgement should describe receipt without implying clinical acceptance or a promised treatment date.

What to ask before you choose

Ask your supplier to show two reception staff opening the same fictional referral. They should see who is handling it and what happens next. The receipt message should accurately describe what has happened, without promising an appointment or implying clinical acceptance. Check how unallocated items remain visible when the usual administrator is away.

Separate receipt from the next decision

Agree what the acknowledgement tells the sender and what it tells your team. Receiving a referral can be an administrative fact, while accepting it for a service may involve a separate process. The software should help staff explain that difference consistently rather than leaving them to interpret an ambiguous 'accepted' label.

Follow an example through a change of shift. The next colleague should be able to see the current owner, any requested information and the next administrative action without rereading an entire inbox. If responsibility moves to another team, show when that team takes it on. Keep an agreed place for items that cannot yet be assigned, with someone responsible for reviewing it. Ask the relevant practice leads to set the handling and escalation arrangements. A reminder or timer in the software should support those arrangements, not become a substitute for deciding them.

How to check the result

Count received items without an owner or recorded next action.