Transforming Mental Health Referral Process for Children and Adolescents

I am tasked with addressing critical issues within the CAMHS referral process, which faces high rejection rates, inefficiencies, and poor user experience. I conduct extensive research to understand the current challenges and to develop a solution that improves the referral system's effectiveness and usability.

How might we enhance the referral process for the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to improve efficiency, usability, and user experience?

Outcomes

Current state service blueprint

Prioritization matrix for feature evaluation

Adapt user feedback loop integration in future plan

Future state journey map in future plan

Implementation strategy and roadmap in future plan

Service Designer,
User Researcher

Methods

User Research, Stakeholder Interviews, Usability Testing, Co-design Workshops, Persona Creations, Journey Mapping, Service Blueprint, Ecosystem Mapping, Rapid Prototyping, Feedback Loops

Year 2023-now

Led user research and stakeholder workshops to understand the needs and challenges faced by CAMHS users and staff.

Facilitated the recruitment of a diverse Digital Accessibility Group to ensure inclusive design.

Conducted a comprehensive review of the NHS Accessibility Standard and integrated findings into the design process.

Organised and led co-design workshops to transition from an Idea Portfolio to a Decision Matrix approach for feature prioritisation.

Engaged with an ethnic minority panel to address translational needs and ensure culturally sensitive design.

Planned and led workshops to gain buy-in from the service delivery team for proposed changes and localised feature variations.

Developed a feedback loop mechanism to iteratively refine the service design based on user input.

I spearheaded a series of user research and stakeholder engagement activities to understand the complexities of the current CAMHS referral process. We conducted interviews and workshops with users, service providers, and stakeholders to map out the existing service blueprint. This process revealed significant issues related to high rejection rates and inefficiencies in the referral handling.

I organised and facilitated co-creative workshops to gather input on prioritising features and addressed the need for a more flexible and accessible system. By using a Decision Matrix approach, we were able to effectively prioritise features based on impact and feasibility.

Based on the insights gained, I will develop a future state journey map illustrating an optimised referral process. This will include integrating user feedback loops and ensuring the system accommodated localised variations to address different trust needs. I will craft an implementation roadmap outlining phased actions and developed a detailed strategy for integrating user feedback into future designs.

I will also lead the team in creating wireframes and prototypes for immediate solutions, overseeing their development and ensuring alignment with the overall strategic vision.

This project will result in a comprehensive implementation roadmap with detailed wireframes and a phased approach to address the CAMHS referral system's challenges. The feedback loop mechanism will be designed to ensure continuous improvement and adaptability of the service.