
{"id":92,"date":"2026-05-08T17:18:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T16:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun-referrals\/?page_id=92"},"modified":"2026-06-19T12:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:36:34","slug":"referrals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun\/referrals\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Referral"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re pleased to introduce a new, easier way to send referrals to our service.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to use the referral virtual assistant\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HhBhODl25Z8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>A new way to refer<\/h2>\n<p>Our <strong>Virtual Assistant<\/strong> is a secure, easy-to-use digital tool that allows you to submit referrals quickly and safely. It replaces the online portal and PDF forms previously sent by email.<\/p>\n<h2>How it works<\/h2>\n<p>The Virtual Assistant guides you through a simple, step-by-step conversation to collect the key information we need. This makes the referral process faster, clearer, and more user-friendly.<\/p>\n<h2>Safe, efficient, and secure<\/h2>\n<p>This new approach helps us deliver care more efficiently while meeting the highest NHS digital safety standards, ensuring your information is handled securely at every stage.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting started<\/h2>\n<p>To begin, simply click the <strong>\u201cMake a Referral\u201d<\/strong> button in the bottom right corner of this webpage.<\/p>\n<p>The Virtual Assistant will guide you through the process step by step, which usually takes just a few minutes.<\/p>\n<h2>What to expect<\/h2>\n<p>You will be asked to provide:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some basic personal details<\/li>\n<li>Your NHS number (you can still complete your referral without it)<\/li>\n<li>Information about why you need to be seen<\/li>\n<li>Relevant medical history<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve completed the questions, click <strong>\u201cSubmit\u201d<\/strong> and your referral will be sent directly to our service.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ohft-box red\">\n<p>Please note that if you leave the chat before completing your referral, your information will not be saved. You will need to start again from the beginning.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<details class=\"nhsuk-details\">\n                    <summary class=\"nhsuk-details__summary\">\n                        <span class=\"nhsuk-details__summary-text\">What details do I need to authenticate?<\/span>\n                    <\/summary>\n                    <div class=\"nhsuk-details__text\">\n<p>The ideal details are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your NHS Number<\/li>\n<li>Your date of birth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you don&#8217;t have your NHS Number, you will need:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your surname<\/li>\n<li>Your postcode<\/li>\n<li>Your date of birth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n                <\/details>\n<details class=\"nhsuk-details\">\n                    <summary class=\"nhsuk-details__summary\">\n                        <span class=\"nhsuk-details__summary-text\">I don&#039;t have my NHS Number. What should I do?<\/span>\n                    <\/summary>\n                    <div class=\"nhsuk-details__text\">\n<p>Your NHS Number can usually be found on NHS appointment letters. You can also find it using the NHS tool via this link:<\/p>\n<div class=\"nhsuk-action-link\"><a class=\"nhsuk-action-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/nhs-services\/online-services\/find-nhs-number\" target=\"_self\"><span class=\"nhsuk-action-link__text\">Find your NHS number<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p>If you don&#8217;t have it, you can still authenticate using:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your surname<\/li>\n<li>Your postcode<\/li>\n<li>Your date of birth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For more help finding your NHS Number, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/nhs-services\/online-services\/find-nhs-number\">NHS website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n                <\/details>\n<details class=\"nhsuk-details\">\n                    <summary class=\"nhsuk-details__summary\">\n                        <span class=\"nhsuk-details__summary-text\">What if the Virtual Assistant cannot identify me?<\/span>\n                    <\/summary>\n                    <div class=\"nhsuk-details__text\">\n<p>This can happen if you attempt to authenticate without your NHS Number.<\/p>\n<p>While most people can authenticate using their surname, postcode, and date of birth, some cases (such as twins with similar details) may require your unique NHS Number.<\/p>\n<p>To resolve this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Locate your NHS Number and use it to authenticate.<\/li>\n<li>Alternatively, contact the service using the telephone number on their website<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n                <\/details>\n<details class=\"nhsuk-details\">\n                    <summary class=\"nhsuk-details__summary\">\n                        <span class=\"nhsuk-details__summary-text\">Why doesn&#039;t the Virtual Assistant understand me?<\/span>\n                    <\/summary>\n                    <div class=\"nhsuk-details__text\">\n<p>The Virtual Assistant cannot answer any questions. It can only submit referrals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n                <\/details>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re pleased to introduce a new, easier way to send referrals to our service. A new way to refer Our&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-92","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154,"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions\/154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oxfordhealth.nhs.uk\/sun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}