Background

The UK’s mental health services face a mounting crisis, with waiting lists and referral numbers reaching unprecedented levels. These delays can be devastating for patients:

• 23% wait more than 12 weeks to begin treatment
• 43% report that delays have worsened their mental health
• 78% turn to emergency services during long waits

Northpoint, a leading mental health provider, was experiencing these national challenges in the demand for their local Open Minds (CAMHS) service. With demand for services escalating and patient complexity increasing, improving their referral process was critical to managing waiting times and enhancing patient outcomes.

Opportunity

Northpoint strives to ensure that more people experience good mental health support. While the rising demand created pressures for the Open Minds (CAMHS) service, it provided a platform to innovate. Improving the referral process presented a significant opportunity to:

• Simplify the referral experience for patients and families
• Streamline workflows to free up capacity for growing demand
• Gather better-quality information upfront, enabling faster and more accurate triage
• Maintain data privacy and security with robust information transfers
• Guide patients to the right services based on their specific needs and locality

Solution

To address these challenges, Northpoint partnered with Aire Innovate to implement AireBridge, a digital solution designed to transform their Single Point of Contact (SPoC) service. AireBridge offered several key enhancements: 

• Updated referral forms: redesigned self-referral and parent/carer forms significantly improved ease of use, making the referral experience smoother and more accessible
• Enhanced triage: Integrated checks reduced inappropriate referrals, ensuring clinicians could focus on urgent cases without unnecessary administrative burden
• Streamlined workflow: Optimised processes enabled faster decision-making and quicker response times
• Improved consent visibility: Real-time consent visibility supported automated communication with patients, improving efficiency and patient satisfaction

Collaboration

The implementation was a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders:

• Invictus Youth Leaders Group
• Family Voice Calderdale
• First Point of Contact (FPOC) staff
• Getting Help Therapeutic Team

Aire Innovate employed an iterative approach, continuously adapting the forms based on feedback from these groups. Their responsiveness led to a seamless, user-focused solution that addressed the unique needs of each group involved. Staff noted: "Consent is more visible. We can automate contact like text messaging, which makes moving through the journey easier for children, young people and families."

Outcomes

AireBridge’s implementation delivered immediate and measurable improvements:

• Reduced referral-to-outcome time: Average processing time dropped from 8 days to 3 days, surpassing the 14-day target and alleviating patient and family anxiety. This 62.5% reduction also enhanced Northpoint’s ability to manage capacity
• Decreased inappropriate referrals: Automated checks reduced inappropriate referrals by 73%, freeing resources for cases that needed genuine attention
• Enhanced staff efficiency: Clinicians noted that the new forms were far easier to navigate, enabling quicker and more efficient processing of referrals
• Improved patient communication: Automated messaging helped streamline patient communication, improving their overall experience

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By embracing AireBridge, Northpoint has not only improved its referral process but continues to push the boundaries of mental health service delivery, setting a new standard in how digital innovation can support care for children and families.

"The forms are clearer to navigate, saving time and allowing me to process referrals quicker"

Northpoint