Clinical referral information
A standard to improve the exchange of referral information from GPs to hospital consultants and other health care professionals providing outpatient services.
Contents
About this standard
- Publisher
- NHS England
- Status
- Active
Show definitions of statuses
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
- Describes the purpose, methodology and stakeholder engagement for developing the standard, along with the findings and recommendations for further work.
- Includes general implementation guidance.
- Details the potential hazards from implementing the standard with their risk rating and mitigation.
- Summarises the hazards which could result from implementing the standard.
- Survey findings and analysis.
Topics and care settings
- Topic
- Appointment / scheduling
- Care records
- Demographics
- Information governance
- Key care information
- Patient communication
- Pharmacy, Medicines and Prescribing
- Referrals
- Tests and diagnostics
- Care setting
- Hospital
- Mental health
Dependencies and related standards
- Dependencies
This standard needs to be reviewed and implemented alongside:
- SNOMED CT
- FHIR
- Electronic booking referral services
- Related standards
This standard relates to NHS Digital's
Review Information
- Contributor
- Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB)
Legal basis
- Licence information
NHS England permits the copying and re-use of Information Standards, in whole or in part, for commercial and non-commercial purposes but, to protect the integrity of the Information Standards, you are not permitted to adapt, amend or decompile the Information Standards for any purpose without our prior consent.
- Licence
Crown Copyright https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-digital/terms-and-conditions
More information
A standard for clinical referrals that supports faster, better patient care. Referrals to hospital are increasing as more people continue to live longer with a range of complex conditions. The Clinical Referral Information Standard is designed to improve the exchange of referral information from GPs to hospital consultants and other health care professionals, providing the required information in a consistent format.
By using the standard professionals will have access to all relevant information in a timely manner, allowing for safer and more consistent care for people using health and care services. The information includes data about medications, previous history, allergies and current symptoms, as well as a patient’s concerns and expectations.
How it worksThe primary care IT system is expected to be able to generate much of the information from the person’s record along with the referrers details, with the GP/professional adding the relevant clinical information.
The standard comprises 6 mandatory sections, 7 required sections (the information must be included where it is available), and 7 optional sections.
Scope
- UK wide
- Referrals from primary care to secondary care
Page last updated: 18 December 2025