NRS
National Referral System (NRS) is a whole-hospital approach to supporting patients with lifestyle-related health conditions.
What we do
- The system supports patients who can benefit from health interventions relating to smoking, alcohol, weight management and physical activity.
- Prompts staff to ask patients related questions about conditions and records responses
- Generates referrals to support clinics
- Provides “Very Brief Advice” (VBA) condition-related information outputs (delivered in just 30 seconds)
- Comprehensive reporting systems
- Assures much higher visibility for the impact referrals are having on public health
Why we do it
The success of a service in the healthcare sector is best managed by the impact it has on patient outcomes. We can quantify our success; since the launch of the NRS in 2012, the system has been used to refer over 40,000 patients on to stop smoking and other lifestyle conditions services in England.
NRS makes sure that the referrers get to see the impact their actions are having on public health because we have inbuilt the facility to report back the outcomes, and also performance management of smoking related CQUIN indicators.
How we do it
NRS provides users with a simple, secure and efficient way of referring patients in secondary care to local lifestyle-related conditions support services. Users are presented with an intuitive and simple to use interface which seamlessly integrates with the existing patient record system. Referrals are made by ticking a box, it is that easy.
NRS has features useful for a wide range of healthcare professionals including nurses, midwives, public health managers, and staff at the relevant lifestyle-condition service provider. The system can be customised to address local needs, with individual trusts having the opportunity to define how referrals are processed and directed.
Our main competitive advantage is that we offer more than just a software solution. The NRS is a genuine whole-hospital approach backed by a proven online training package, developed and maintained by the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training.
