Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council: Patient Self-referral health prevention model
The project
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council has introduced this new innovative model to streamline pathways freeing up GP time leading to a more efficient service. The programme was launched in September 2022, with over 250 referrals to date.
This works on the premise that if patients are making a referral themselves it is more likely that they are ready to change their health lifestyle, leading to a greater chance of improving their quality of life. To make this as easy as possible for the end user, the self-referral transaction takes less than one minute to complete. As a first step, each person referring receives a high-quality publication produced by the council that has been developed with public health colleagues. This sets out key local resources and support.
This goes beyond the normal health improvement work of the council and includes advice and guidance on topics such as:
- Sleep
- Menopause
- Cancer screening
- Domestic abuse
- Aging well
- Suicide prevention
The inspiration for this project was the DCN’s Fit for the Future report. This sets out the economic health value that district health and leisure services can provide if utilised in a national social prescription programme, also recommended by Sport England.
The benefits
All residents can benefit from the programme, and to date over 250 have used the service. The majority have asked for information and advice on local services. There is particular interest in holistic and alternative therapies. This has freed up vital capacity for GP’s and practice staff.  The aim is to quadruple referral numbers to 1,000 in 2023.
This is a low-cost solution and can be met from existing budgets/capacity. This is currently a boroughwide project that is being enhanced and embraced by partners to provide a system level approach.
