Hospital referral for assessment for community care and support
A care record standard for the information required when a person is referred for ongoing community assessment after a hospital stay.
Contents
About this standard
- Publisher
- NHS England
- Publication version
- 1.1.0
- 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.
- Summarises the hazards which could result from implementing the standard.
- Survey report detailing findings from the consultation phase of the project.
- Details the potential hazards from implementing the standard with their risk rating and mitigation.
- Applies to
- Hospital staff and community and social care staff where it is decided that that a referral for assessment is needed.
Topics and care settings
- Topic
- Care records
- Demographics
- Information governance
- Key care information
- Patient communication
- Pharmacy, Medicines and Prescribing
- Referrals
- Tests and diagnostics
- Care setting
- Community health
- Hospital
- Social care
Dependencies and related standards
- Dependencies
This standard needs to be reviewed and implemented alongside:
Review Information
- Scope
- Communication between hospital staff and community and social care staff where it is decided that a referral for assessment is needed.
- 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
Hospitals must determine when it is safe to discharge a person and implement a discharge plan. Part of that decision-making process requires hospital staff to determine whether the person needs to be referred for an assessment to establish ongoing care and support in the community after discharge.
This standard supports the communication between hospital staff and community and social care staff where it is decided that a referral for assessment is needed.
About this standardThe Hospital Referral for Assessment for Community Care and Support standard defines the information requirements in respect of an adult person being referred from hospital to health and social care for possible ongoing social and health care support following discharge from hospital.
The standard includes the minimum information that previously had be sent to the person’s local authority as part of the Assessment, Discharge and Withdrawal Standard notice(s) (SCCI2075) which is now retired as well as the clinical information that health and social care professionals in the community have told us they require following discharge from hospital.
Benefits:- Enhances professional communication and continuity of care.
- Ensures timely access to relevant patient information.
- Supports integrated care between acute, social and community care.
The Hospital Referral for Assessment for Community Care and Support standard is:
- a definition of the information to be shared with the responsible body when referring an adult for assessment for care and support by social services and/ or NHS services after discharge from an acute hospital.
- applicable to individuals who require care and support, after discharge, in their own home or if placed in an accommodation setting such as a care home.
- supportive of and is an integral part of the discharge planning and process for these individuals.
- supportive of the information elements that are needed to extract ADW notices to the local authority.
- IT system and discharge pathway agnostic.
- compliant with Care Act 2014 discharge pathway information requirements.
- compatible with the Discharge to Assess process.
- the discharge processes themselves
- all the referral information required for a person discharged from a mental health service because it is developed for a person who has received care in an acute hospital.
- adults who do not need care and support after discharge from hospital.
- people who wish to make private arrangements for care and support without the involvement of the local authority (it is recognised the local authority may still become involved for self-funded persons).
- a definition of how information should be presented to professionals.
The standard includes a core set of information that is communicated in the referral and references other important documents pertaining to the person that should be accessible. These additional documents may be communicated as attachments or be available from shared care records. For example, if an end of life care plan exists it is important that this is communicated in the referral and the recipient is sent the document or knows where to access it.
Page last updated: 18 December 2025