CHS99 Refer individuals to specialist sources of assistance in meeting their health care needs

Overview

This standard is about referring individuals to specialist sources of assistance in the process of meeting their relevant health care needs. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. The legislation which relates to your work including: health and safety, confidentiality and information sharing, the provision of services, the rights of individuals, anti-discriminatory practice, and informed consent
2. The professional standards and codes of practice for your area of work and how to interpret and apply these
3. The nature, extent and boundaries of your work role and its relationship to others in the organisation
4. The roles of other health and social care practitioners and how they relate between and across agencies
5. The principle of informed consent, and how to obtain informed consent from individuals
6. The importance of confidentiality and how to ensure personal data are kept confidential whilst being shared with other agencies
7. How to communicate effectively with individuals
8. The importance of working in a facilitative and enabling way and how to do this
9. How to present information in ways which are appropriate for different people
10. The ways in which communication can be modified and altered for different needs, contexts and beliefs
11. The rights of people to make decisions for themselves and to take risks in the context of their own lives
12. The main issues, debates, and policies relating to modifiable risks to health and well-being
13. The guidance that is available for your own practice, and the sources of the guidance
14. Evidence based practice, and its role in improving services
15. How factors in people�s lifestyles can affect their risk of developing health problems
16. How to identify when individuals should be referred to specialist services that may help them to promote their health and well-being and reduce health risks
17. The range of specialist services available locally and nationally to help promote health and well-being and reduce health risks
18. The nature, strengths and limitations of these services
19. The different features services must have to meet individuals� gender, culture, language or other needs
20. The arrangements for referring people to specialist services
21. How to complete and structure records and reports so that they contain all of the essential information and are suitable for others to use
22. The importance of effective record keeping in accordance with professional guidelines and local policy, and the procedures relating to this

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. discuss the possibility of referral with the individual and significant others in a positive, honest and respectful manner, including the benefits and risks
2. identify the range of specialist services with features that meet the individual�s needs and preferences
3. discuss with the individual and significant others, the available options for referral, including their advantages and disadvantages
4. agree with the individual which specialist service(s) they will be referred to and obtain the necessary consent for the referral
5. refer individuals to suitable specialist services following agreed referral arrangements and provide the necessary referral information
6. identify the priority of the individual�s requirements in the referral information
7. provide the individual, and significant others where appropriate, with the opportunity to discuss any queries they have regarding their referral and/or the service provider(s) to which they are being referred
8. enable individuals to overcome any problems they may have in accessing specialist services
9. produce records and reports that are clear, comprehensive and accurate, and share information only with those who have the right and need to know

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB2 Assessment and care planning This standard has replaced LTCN6, CHD_EE2 and EUSC_09