The term Referral is used to describe both an action which relates to the care of an individual patient and the general demand on the NHS to provide care services. In relation to individual patient care it is defined as a request or demand for the shifting of responsibility for a particular clinical problem. The actual transfer of responsibility is recorded by a change of responsible clinician for that problem. This may be described as a 'Clinical Referral'. The request may precede the assumption of responsibility by some time, the difference being the waiting time.
The general use relates to any request or demand for a service or services to be provided to a specific person. This may be described as a 'Service Demand'. The request to provide appropriate care to a patient may be to a care professional, team, service or organisation. A referral may be made by a person, team, service or organisation on behalf of a patient or by the patient him/herself. These demands will sometimes involve clinical referrals and sometimes not.