Guide to creating referrals in the NHS e-Referral Service on the Path to Live environments

This guide is for users in the Path To Live (PTL) environments to create referrals for test purposes. It is not intended for use within the live environment.

The guide covers the process for creating referrals via the e-RS web-based professional application. Referrals created via an integrated GP system is not included, and is not currently possible in the PTL environments.

You can learn how to arrange:

• referral
• appointment (direct booking)
• appointment (indirect booking)
• triage

To create referrals in the e-RS, a referring clinician role is required at a referring organisation, like a GP practice.

These roles should be assigned to you. If you are missing them, please contact the IT Operations Centre  and request that it be added to your user profile.

You will need to provide:

• GP practice (ODS) code
• SDS role ID (usually R0260, General Medical Practitioner)
• which environment you are working in

Either the referring clinician (RC) or referring clinician admin (RCA) role may be used throughout this guide. RCA is a delegated authority role. It requires a minimum of one RC role to refer on behalf of.

Read the guidance for referrers before continuing.

As part of your data pack, you will be assigned test:

• GP practice
• patients
• NHS trust organisation
• NHS trust site 

Your referrals must be created from your assigned GP practice.

You will also be assigned a set of test patients.

These test patients will be registered at the same GP practice provided in your test data pack.

You must use your assigned test patients and GP practice to create referrals. This will ensure that you can continue to manage referrals from your assigned GP practice. For example, if a referral is returned to a RC or RCA at your practice.

You will be required to create services before you can create a referral in e-RS.

Read the guide for creating services before continuing.