New guidelines support ENT referrals for adults and children

27 August 2025

Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) has produced two new ENT guides to support the development of local patient referral guidelines for adults and children. 

The best practice guidelines provide a structured approach to managing some of the most common ENT conditions, and support clinicians to improve referral quality and enhance coordination. 

GIRFT referral guidelines (adult) 

GIRFT referral guidelines (paediatric) 

The guides have been developed in collaboration with ENT and paediatric specialists to offer healthcare systems a selection of standardised referral pathways from primary care, helping to shape the development of local patient referral guidelines. This can ensure that secondary care clinicians receive the necessary clinical and administrative referral information to minimise rejected or redirected referrals and will reduce time spent triaging referrals prior to treatment.   

The guidelines aim to:  

• Promote evidence-based assessment and management of patients for some of the most common ENT conditions;  

• Build consistency and reduce unwarranted variation in referrals;  

• Streamline referral and treatment pathways for patients, optimising referrals into secondary care;  

• Ensure that appropriate tests and investigations are organised prior to or concurrently with the referral, helping to reduce the number of follow-up appointments and shorten patient waiting times for treatment;  

• Support the co-design of referral pathways and templates with stakeholders, including clear criteria and guidance to support the referrer.  

The referral guidelines should be reviewed by systems and, as necessary, adapted for local services to facilitate an effective referral system.  

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