BMJ Open Qual. 2026 Sep 7;15(3):e004496. doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2026-004496.
ABSTRACT
Reliable management of waiting lists is a key component of governance in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Within neurodevelopmental services, fragmented systems for referral and waiting list management may introduce risks to data reliability, service oversight and timely access to care.In the City & Hackney Specialist CAMHS Neurodevelopmental Team, referral and waiting list processes relied on multiple spreadsheets and manual data entry across screening, waiting list allocation and assessment tracking stages. This created duplication, risk of data loss and limited visibility of patient progression.A quality improvement project was undertaken to implement a digital workflow using Microsoft Forms, Lists and Power Automate. The system created a single structured dataset tracking patient progression from referral to report completion, replacing multiple spreadsheets and manual processes, and enabling clinicians and administrative staff to directly access waiting list information without reliance on manual retrieval.Over a 13-month period, the system was used in 803 searches by 20 individual users with 5-9 active users per month, indicating sustained adoption. The intervention created a single structured operational dataset supporting referral, waiting list and assessment management, reducing duplication of data entry, improving accessibility of waiting list information and enabling an estimated reduction of approximately 66.9-133.8 hours of administrative time.This project demonstrates how low-cost digital infrastructure can support governance and data-driven service management within CAMHS.
PMID:42705838 | DOI:10.1136/bmjoq-2026-004496
