Developing Staff Referral Pathways to Aid in Proactive Management and Maintenance of Student Health and Wellbeing

Abstract

The escalation of the COVID-19 situation throughout 2021 saw a dramatic increase in the number of ad-hoc referrals and requests submitted to the Student Health and Wellbeing (SHW) team at La Trobe University. While the SHW team was pleased to be receiving these referrals and requests, the incomplete nature of many of the requests made it incredibly difficult for them to follow up. A standardised form was developed to better enable non-clinical and all university staff to request consultations, make referrals, and effectively hand over students of concern to the SHW team for wellbeing support. Although a challenge to develop appropriately, this form has seen enormous success and has improved service delivery and capacity to an unprecedented level. Although somewhat counterintuitive, by standardising the requests and referrals process, the team were better able to deliver non-standard, individualised support for the at-risk and distressed students who required it.