Single Point of Access

The Essex Wellbeing Service provides integrated health and wellbeing support across Essex, connecting residents with a wide range of preventative and early intervention services. These include smoking cessation, weight management, carers support, emotional health support, employment advice, housing assistance, and help with social isolation.

To make it easier for individuals to access the right help at the right time, the team in our Single Point of Access (SPA) act as a central hub responsible for processing all referrals, managing enquiries, and coordinating service bookings. It ensures that every contact is handled with care, consistency, and a clear route to appropriate support.

Referral Processing

The SPA team handles all referrals whether they come from professionals or individuals themselves.

They triage these referrals to make sure people get connected quickly and to the right services that fit their needs.

Enquiry Management

Serving as the main contact point for all EWS enquiries, the SPA provides clear information and advice to residents, professionals, and partners, or directs them to the right service area.

Appointment and Booking Coordination

The SPA manages most bookings for EWS services to keep things running smoothly and consistently. Plus, people can also book themselves directly through the website’s online assessment feature, promoting self-care and making access easy from multiple routes.

Collaborative Partnership working (CareNav+)

Working within the CareNav+ model, the SPA partners closely with health, social care, and voluntary sector organisations. This teamwork helps services work seamlessly together, improves information sharing, and supports coordinated care for those with complex needs.

Continuous Development of Holistic Triage

By maintaining strong relationships with partners, the SPA keeps improving its holistic triage process.

This means assessments consider physical, emotional, and social needs to create more person-centred and joined-up support plans.

What Happens when you reach the Single Point of Access?

When someone contacts the Single Point of Access (SPA) at the Essex Wellbeing Service, they’re reaching out to a friendly team that’s here to listen, understand, and help find the right support all in one place.

First things first – your first contact

Whether it’s a phone call, an email, or an online referral, the first thing we do is listen. You’ll speak to someone who’s warm, understanding, and ready to help, no rushing, just a real conversation.

A conversation that’s all about you

We’ll ask questions to get to know you what’s going on in your life, what you might be struggling with, and what kind of support you’re looking for. This is a person-centred chat, which means it’s led by your needs, not just ticking boxes. It’s all about seeing the full picture.

Looking at everything that matters

From there, we’ll do a holistic triage. That’s just a fancy way of saying we take a look at everything not just the issue you called about. We consider things like your emotional and physical health, your lifestyle, any social or housing challenges, finances, your caring role and more. It helps us make sure no one slips through the cracks.

Finding the right support

Once we understand what you need, we’ll look at what support is available. That could be anything from emotional health services and stop smoking support to help with housing, debt advice, or local wellbeing activities.

Linking you in with local services

We’ve got great links with community groups and support services across Essex, and we’ll help connect you to the right ones near you. Whether it’s something small or more complex, we know who to talk to and how to get things moving.

Making referrals and staying in touch

If a referral’s needed, we’ll sort it out for you. We’ll also liaise with partners and care navigators, so you don’t have to explain your story over and over again. And if needed, we’ll stay in touch to make sure you’re getting the help you need and that things are going in the right direction.

The Single Point of Access brings together a dedicated team led by strong leadership to make sure people in Essex get the support they need. By working closely with partners and constantly improving how we assess people’s needs, the SPA shows what a modern, person-focused approach to community health and wellbeing looks like.

We’re always updating our triage system and building stronger connections through CareNav+ to deliver a truly joined-up, people-first way of supporting wellbeing across Essex.