To help the RSS team process referrals efficiently, GPs are asked to provide following information:

• Up to date patient information, including a daytime telephone number with the area code and/or mobile telephone number if applicable
• The primary reason for referral, including clear referral instructions
• Record of BMI and Smoking Status
• Previous relevant medical history and any recent investigations
• 3rd party consent if applicable

All relevant documents need to be attached at the time of referring into the Referral Support Service. Without this the referral cannot be processed. 

There's further information about RSS, including an up-to-date list of referral routes into secondary care by speciality and clinic, here.

Click here for further information.

NHS North Yorkshire and NHS Vale of York CCGs operates an online self-service system called Check+.

This allows registered users to very quickly check criteria against a procedure, then automatically generate a prior approval ticket (PAT) to attach to the patient record before referral or treatment for Procedures of Limited Clinical Value (PoLCVs).  Check+ is already being utilised across Hambleton Richmondshire and Whitby (HRW) practices and the process across this locality remains the same.

The system is very simple and quick to use and provides an instant decision on whether a patient meets the relevant CCG’s prior approval policies. The system automatically generates the appropriate policy criteria for individual patients/CCGs. This replaces existing processes – it is not in addition to processes that are currently undertaken by primary/secondary care and supports the NHS’ ambition for digital transformation. It provides an improvement for the referral process supporting the upgrade of RSS referral software; ICG2 (in Scarborough & Ryedale and Vale of York localities).

The second phase of nationally approved Evidence Based Interventions will also be integral to the VBC and will provide up to date thresholds for all EBI policies and will also assist secondary care in validating and potentially reducing waiting list backlogs, providing healthcare system wide benefits.

Guidance to support both primary and secondary care colleagues to determine at what point in the patient pathway a Prior Approval Ticket (PAT) should be generated, can be found here.

NHS North Yorkshire CCG does NOT routinely commission an elective surgical intervention under general anaesthetic or with spinal or epidural anaesthesia on patients who have a BMI of 30 or above or patients who are recorded as a current smoker unless they have undergone a 12-month period of health optimisation. There's detailed information about Health Optimisation, here.

You can find a patient information leaflet, here.

IMPORTANT: NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group has been dissolved and replaced by the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) on 1 July 2022. Details of the arrangements for individual funding requests (treatment not routinely commissioned by the NHS) can be found on the ICB website. The full IFR Policy is available here.

Information for Scarborough, Ryedale, Whitby, Hambleton and Richmondshire practices 

If you believe the patient demonstrates clinical exceptionality, please submit an Individual Funding Request via (necsu.nhs.uk)

Harrogate and Rural District Practices

For Harrogate submissions please submit the below forms to necsu.exceptions@nhs.net.

• Exceptional Circumstances Submission Form (GP referrals)

• Excluded drugs and devices exceptional circumstances from (for completion by hospital consultant)

Patient information

• My Individual Funding Request has been declined - What can I do now?