MSK Hub e-referrals

The Integrated MSK service combines the Orthopaedic, Pain Management, Podiatry and Rheumatology services and progresses towards implementation on 1st October. It is intended that the triage element of this service will commence on 11 August.

Referrals into the MSK Hub will be made using an Ardens referral letter and a System One e-referral. If a decision is made that the patient needs to be onwardly referred to secondary care from the MSK Hub; staff within the MSK Hub will create a UBRN on behalf of the referring practice and contact the patient to offer choice and book an appointment in secondary care. This eliminates current processes where referrals are sent back to general practice for re-referral.

The referral to the MSK hub is a System One e-Referral. Implied in the use of a System One e-Referral is use of the EDSM sharing system. This is the system in use when an MSK e-Referral is made. It is the same system already currently used by other community services. Practices will be familiar with EDSM and can find more information from TPP and their website including patient information. The EDSM sharing model is developing and improving; TPP, the BMA and ICO all share regular updates with System One users about the progress of this work.

The only patient record shared with the MSK hub is the patient who has been e-referred as per EDSM.

This is the same process and sharing model as is used when an EPaCCs template is used.

The MSK Hub consists of SFHT and Nottinghamshire Healthcare staff directly employed by the NHS.

If a practice has switched off sharing and so are unable to send System One e-referrals please contact the MSK hub directly to find a solution.

If a patient does not consent to sharing their record with the MSK hub please explain the reason for data sharing with the patient to obtain consent to the referral and contact the MSK hub directly to discuss.

To enable MSK admin staff to make Choose and Book e-Referrals on the GP Practice’s behalf, ’Choose and Book Referring Clinician Admin’ access rights need to be added to the MSK admin staff smartcards.

Choose and Book Referring Clinician Admin rights allow admin staff the activities ‘Proxy Manage Outbound Referrals’ and ‘Manage Outbound Appointments’. See description of these activities below.

CIS Screenshot:

The following users are the current MSK admin staff who will need to be added:

Name / Smartcard Numbers can be found on the CCG intranet:
Documents/Current MSK Hub admin staff are.docx
Dawn Shipman
George Garbett
Willow Goodyear
Kim Ashall

Further staff will be added to this list.

Following this, practices will need to wait until NHIS have approved these (try the following day) and find each MSK hub member on your SystmOne staff and organisation setup page, and untick “logon” next to their name. This will completely block these staff members from your SystmOne. See screenshot below.

How do I contact the MSK hub?

Contact details are currently for use by practice staff only. The hub can be contacted by email: or phone: 01623 784774. Patient contact details will follow.