Building effective referral pathways: Connecting people to the right support at the right time

Learn and share best practice of how to build effective referral pathways that connect people to the right support at the right time. Designed for social prescribing link workers (SPLWs) and those working across health, community and voluntary sector services, this session will focus on what makes onward referrals high-quality, timely and person-centred. 

Throughout the session, we will explore what an effective referral pathway looks like, including the key elements of a good referral and how to recognise and map a typical referral journey. We will also look at common barriers that can affect referral success, and how link workers can help mitigate these through clear communication, appropriate signposting and stronger relationships with partners. 

Through practical examples and discussion, participants will consider how to strengthen relationships with multi-disciplinary teams and voluntary sector organisations to improve referral experiences and outcomes. 

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 

• Be confident in what the key elements are of a high-quality onward referral 
• Be able to explain what an effective referral pathway looks like 
• Understand how to strengthen relationships with multi-disciplinary (MDT) teams and the voluntary sector 
• Identify common barriers to referral success and how to mitigate these 
• Recognise and map a typical referral journey