Automate Patient Referral Processing with Microsoft Power Platform

📊 The Numbers

• Time Saved: 17 minutes per referral (88% reduction)
• Annual Impact: 226 days of work saved annually
• Payback Period: 4-6 months
• Accuracy Improvement: 65,000+ observations recorded with improved data quality
• Difficulty: 5/10 (Medium)

🎯 The Problem

NHS Berkshire Healthcare Trust was processing hundreds of patient referrals each week, with each referral taking an average of 20 minutes to complete manually. Staff had to navigate multiple systems, manually enter data across platforms, and ensure accuracy whilst managing high volumes.

This created significant administrative burden, taking clinicians and administrators away from patient care. With hundreds of referrals submitted weekly, the Trust was losing the equivalent of nearly a full year of staff time annually to manual processing.

💡 The Automation

How NHS Berkshire Healthcare Trust transformed their referral process:

1. Microsoft Power Platform Assessment - Evaluated existing workflows and identified automation opportunities across patient referral pathways
2. Power Automate Workflow Design - Built automated workflows to route referrals, extract data, and trigger notifications without manual intervention
3. Power Apps Interface Creation - Developed custom app for staff to submit referrals with smart forms and validation
4. System Integration - Connected the Power Platform to existing NHS systems and patient databases using secure APIs
5. Automated Data Capture - Implemented automatic observation recording across patient wards, eliminating manual data entry
6. Testing and Deployment - Piloted with select wards, gathered feedback, and scaled Trust-wide

🔧 Tools Required

• Microsoft Power Platform - Low-code automation and app development platform (available with Microsoft 365)
• Power Automate - Workflow automation to connect systems and route referrals
• Power Apps - Custom application interface for streamlined data entry
• Microsoft Dataverse - Secure data storage and management
• Integration APIs - Connectors to existing NHS patient management systems

⚠️ Implementation Considerations

• NHS data standards and Information Governance compliance required
• Integration with existing patient management systems (8-12 weeks typical)
• Staff training and change management essential for adoption
• Requires Microsoft 365 licensing (often already available in NHS organisations)
• GDPR and NHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria compliance
• Clinical validation of automated workflows before full deployment

✅ Proof & Signals

• Case Study: NHS Berkshire Healthcare Trust (2024)
• Results Achieved: Reduced processing time from 20 minutes to 2 minutes 20 seconds per referral; 226 days of work saved annually; 65,000+ patient observations recorded with improved accuracy
• Market Trend: NHS Digital Transformation Agenda 2025 prioritises automation of administrative tasks to free up clinical time. Microsoft Power Platform is rapidly being adopted across NHS trusts as part of their Microsoft 365 estate.
• Source: NHS Case Study with Microsoft - DigPacks

🚀 Getting Started

DIY Approach

1. Audit Current Referral Process - Map existing workflow, identify bottlenecks and manual data entry points
2. Check Microsoft 365 Licensing - Verify your organisation has Power Platform access (often included in E3/E5 licenses)
3. Start with Power Automate Templates - Use pre-built NHS-friendly templates from Microsoft's template gallery
4. Build Simple Pilot Workflow - Automate one referral pathway end-to-end with a single department
5. Gather Staff Feedback - Iterate based on real-world usage before scaling
6. Scale Trust-Wide - Roll out successful workflows across all departments

Estimated build time: 8-12 weeks for pilot, additional 4-6 weeks for Trust-wide rollout

Professional Build

LumiGentic can deliver this automation with:

• Full NHS Information Governance and data standards compliance
• Seamless integration with existing patient management systems
• Custom Power Apps interfaces designed for clinical workflows
• Comprehensive staff training and change management support
• Ongoing support and workflow optimisation

Typical delivery: 8-12 weeks from discovery to Trust-wide deployment

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Part of the LumiGentic Automation Idea Browser • Published 24 January 2025