How can I make a referral to the UCRT?

Clinicians can access UCRT 7 days a week, between the hours of 8am – 8pm by calling 0344 257 3951.

All calls are answered by a call handler and passed to a senior nurse who will triage the individual patient case and advise if the patient is suitable to be seen by the UCRT or is appropriate for another service.

The UCRT will contact patients with 2 hours of receiving a referral and can support patients for up to 14 days with ongoing monitoring of observations and treatments to ensure the patients remain safe at home.

If at any point the patient deteriorates and can no longer safely be managed at home, then the UCRT will coordinate a safe transfer to hospital for further assessment and admission if this is required.

Inclusion criteria

This list is not exhaustive and we would encourage you to call and discuss each case individually:

• All patients must be registered with a GP within the mid and south Essex area (including temporary residents)
• Simple infections
• Minor illness and ailments
• Urgent (non-acute) medical requirements
• Falls / frailty / vulnerability
• Simple trauma related wounds
• Non-emergency respiratory conditions
• Exacerbation of long-term conditions
• Non-injury falls (assistance from the floor)
• Urgent bloods to guide diagnosis
• Non-routine catheter management
• Urgent provision of equipment i.e. commodes, walking frames & pressure relieving equipment
• Urgent social care crisis
• Urgent end of life crisis

Exclusion criteria

• Under 18 years of age
• Acute Medical Emergency (e.g. sepsis)
• Falls with suspected fracture or reduced consciousness, suspected trauma to head and on anticoagulant therapy

For mental health crisis please call 111 Option 2.

All of the above criteria can be found on the Directory of Services (DoS).