Wye Valley NHS Trust

Community Referral Hub - Single Point of Access

An alternative route to community services

The Single Point of Access (SPA) provides a simple and streamlined way for patients, professionals, carers, and members of the public to access health and care services through one central referral point.

The Single Point of Access, named as the Community Referral Hub, brings together clinical advice and access to community services. We help coordinate support for people who become unwell, need additional care at home or require support to leave hospital safely.

Our aim is to help people remain in familiar surroundings wherever this is safe and appropriate, reducing avoidable hospital attendances and admissions.

What does the service do?

Our call handlers and clinicians work together to understand each person’s needs and identify the most appropriate care. This may include advice, a clinical assessment or a referral to another service.

We work with GPs, community teams, hospital staff, ambulance services, social care and voluntary organisations to coordinate support.

Services we can help you access

Depending on your assessed needs and the support available, we can coordinate access to:

• Urgent Community Response: assessment and short-term support for people whose health or ability to manage at home has suddenly deteriorated.
• Falls Response: support for people who have fallen, where an assessment confirms that a community response is appropriate.
• Hospital at Home: care and treatment at home for people who would otherwise need hospital care, or support to return home sooner.
• Virtual wards: hospital-level monitoring and treatment at home for people who meet the service criteria.
• Bridging care: short-term practical support to help people return home from hospital or remain safely at home while further care arrangements are made.
• Palliative and end-of-life support: coordination with relevant services to help people receive appropriate care and support.

Following assessment, we may also direct you to primary care, community nursing, therapy, social care or voluntary sector services. 

Who is the service for?

The service supports people in Herefordshire who need assessment or coordinated community care, including people who:

• Have a sudden change in their health or ability to manage everyday activities.
• May be able to receive care safely at home instead of attending hospital.
• Need additional short-term support to return home after a hospital stay.
• Have complex needs requiring input from more than one service.

Each referral is assessed individually. The care offered will depend on the person’s needs, the relevant service criteria and available capacity.

The Community referral Hub can be access by:

• Patients and service users
• Family members and carers
• General Practitioners (GPs)
• Hospital teams
• Community healthcare professionals
• Social care teams
• Voluntary and community sector organisations
• Emergency services and partner agencies

How to access the service

If you feel you would benefit from the services offered by the Community Referral hub, please make contact with your own GP or NHS 111.

If you already receive care from a community team, continue to use the contact details provided by that team unless you have been advised otherwise.

Health and care professionals

Contact the Community Referral Hub to discuss a patient’s needs and the most appropriate community pathway.

What information will I need?

To help us process your referral efficiently, please provide:

• Patient demographic details
• Contact information
• Reason for referral
• Relevant clinical information
• Current risks or safeguarding concerns
• Referrer contact details
• Consent where applicable

What happens after a referral?

Our team will gather information about the person’s health, current difficulties and existing support.

A clinician will review the referral, assess its urgency and agree the next steps. We may contact the patient, their representative or the referring professional for more information.

Depending on the assessment, we may provide advice, arrange further assessment or coordinate support from another service. If community care cannot safely meet the person’s needs, we will advise on the appropriate alternative.

Calling on someone else’s behalf

Please explain your relationship to the person and whether they know you are contacting us.

Where possible, we will involve them directly in discussions about their care. If they cannot take part, we will consider their needs and involve the appropriate people.

Communication and accessibility

Please tell us if you need an interpreter, information in another format or additional support to communicate with us.

Your information

We use relevant information to assess your needs and coordinate your care. Where appropriate, information may be shared with organisations involved in providing your care and support.

Please tell us if you have questions or concerns about how your information is used.

Need urgent or emergency help?

Call 999 in a life-threatening emergency. Do not wait for a response from The Community Referral Hub.

If you need urgent medical help and are unsure what to do, call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.