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111 Referral Standard

This standard supports the Booking and Referral Standard programme (BaRS). The standard defines the information that should be shared from 111 or 999 services when a person is referred onto another service.

Contents

The standard

Benefits
Requirements
Documentation

About this standard

Publisher
NHS England
Publication version
1.0.0
Status
Active
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Active. Active standards are stable, maintained and have been approved, assured or endorsed for use by qualified bodies.

Deprecated Deprecated standards are available for use and are maintained, but are being phased out, so new functionality will not be added.

Retired standards Retired standards are not being maintained or supported and should not be used.

Standard type
Information standards
Show definitions of standard types

Collections. A Collection is a systematic gathering of a specified selection of data or information for a particular stated purpose from existing records held within health and care systems and electronic devices.

Extractions. An extraction is a type of collection that is pulled from an operational system by the data controller and transmitted to the receiver without additional processing or transcription by the sender.

Information standards. Information standards are agreed ways of doing something, written down as a set of precise criteria so they can be used as rules, guidelines, or definitions.

Technical Standards and specifications. Technical standards and specifications specify how to make information available technically including how the data is structured and transported.

Contact point

england.standards.assurance@nhs.net

Using this standard

The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) were commissioned by NHS England to develop the following set of resources. These have been migrated into the NHS Standards Directory and will be managed by NHS England from 01 January 2026.

Associated medias
Applies to
  • All 111 and 999 service referrals to wherever the person goes next.
  • Referrals through 111 online, call handler or clinical assessment services and 999 services.
Is part of

Developed to support the Booking and Referral Standard programme (BaRS)

Topics and care settings

Topic
  • Care records
  • Continuity of care
  • Health
  • Interoperability
  • Key care information
  • Messaging
  • Referrals
Care setting
  • Ambulance (Urgent and Emergency Care)
  • Dentistry
  • GP / Primary care
  • Mental health
  • Pharmacy
  • Urgent and Emergency Care

Review Information

Scope
NHS Services
Contributor
Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB)

Legal basis

Licence information

This standard is owned by NHS England and is made available for reuse or amendment under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL 3.0).

Licence

Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL 3.0) https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

More information

PRSB was commissioned by NHS England to produce the 111 Referral Standard as part of the Booking and Referral Standard programme (BaRS). The standard defines the information that should be shared from 111 or 999 services when a person is referred onto another service. It also defines the information for a post event message (PEM) to inform a person’s GP of their contact with 111 services. This is subset of the 111 referral to give GPs an effective summary, and is sent after all contacts with a few exceptions, including if the referral is to the GP, or the call was just to seek information. GPs should not confuse this PEM, which is just for their information, with a 111 referral to GP, which they must action. These will replace the current referral messages which are poorly regarded and little used. Across the UK, 111 services are becoming the first point of contact for urgent care and are essential in ensuring that people are referred to the most appropriate service safely and efficiently. In England the NHS Long Term Plan sets out to ensure patients get the care they need, fast and to relieve pressure on A&E departments by referring people to the most appropriate service. This standard was created to support clear and concise information flows between the 111 referrer and the receiving services and professionals or clinicians to support safe and effective care. Scope The standard applies to:

  • All 111 and 999 service referrals to wherever the person goes next.
  • Referrals through 111 online, call handler or clinical assessment services and 999 services, and is not specific to any triage system.
  • The standard is UK-wide and developed in consultation with a wide range of professionals from all four nations, including from 111 services, receiving services, IT suppliers and people who use services.
  • All age groups including children.
The standard does not apply to transfers between 111 services (e.g. across a country border) or between 111 and 999 services. How it works The standard defines the full set information which should be sent in a 111 referral, however some of the information will only be appropriate when the referral is from a clinician or the clinical assessment service (e.g., the chief clinical concern or the diagnosis). These occurrences are noted in the implementation guidance and supported by the conformance (mandatory, required or optional) for each data item, where required means the information should be sent where it is available, recognising that this information may not be available where its not relevant to the individual case or not gathered during calls or online contact. Much of the referral information should be generated from the system with the information recorded during the contact, with only information like the clinical summary (where used) having to be added by the referring person.

Page last updated: 18 December 2025