Basildon Council is using digital tools to streamline referrals, reach more residents, and track outcomes—helping staff work smarter and deliver better community support, says Rob Manser, head of revenues & benefits.

Local government teams across the UK are facing rising demand, stretched services, and increasingly complex resident needs. At Basildon Council, our Outreach and Engagement team was no exception. What began as a surge in referrals for core welfare support quickly expanded into a web of interconnected issues – debt, addiction, housing insecurity, and mental health. Our systems couldn’t keep up.

Until recently, referrals were submitted via a basic web form, landing in a shared inbox. From there, our team manually extracted information, built case files, logged data into spreadsheets, and emailed colleagues across departments. Each referral took around 30 minutes to process, and we were receiving over 200 a month. The system was not only resource-intensive, but it also lacked visibility, accountability, and the ability to report on outcomes.

Role of Digital Social Prescribing

In May 2025, we launched a digital social prescribing platform, Access Elemental, that’s helping change how we triage, track, and support residents. Since go-live, 595 referrals have been processed through the system. The same team is handling the workload, but with automation and real-time access, they’re spending half the time per case and making first contact with 99% of residents within 48 hours.

It’s enabled us to shift how we think about community – focusing on efficiency and impact.

For the first time, our Outreach and Engagement team can see what happens after a referral. They can track whether residents engage with services, understand the demographics of those seeking support, and differentiate the main reasons for referral – whether it’s benefits advice, housing applications, or welfare support. And they have the data to back it up.

Reaching Residents

We’ve also launched a physical hub in our reception area, where residents can receive one-to-one support and be referred directly into the system and service. For those who can’t come to us, we’re going to them via our Borough Bus, which visits supermarkets, libraries, and even car parks. It’s community care delivered on people’s doorsteps, backed by digital infrastructure that ensures no one falls through the cracks.

Plus, we’ve been able to strengthen our self-referral route, which now accounts for 33% of all referrals. It’s our largest single source of the truth. It also gives residents more autonomy and ensures support is accessible when and where it’s needed.

Empowering Council Members and Teams

Looking ahead, the council’s ambition is to embed this digital capability across all frontline touchpoints. Elected Members will soon be able to use the system during community surgeries to securely refer residents for support in real time, ensuring action is taken there and then.

We’re also opening up referral routes across the entire council, enabling any team to connect residents with the Outreach and Engagement service. It’s part of our commitment to an ‘every contact counts’ approach, where every interaction becomes an opportunity to support someone better.

Data-Driven Decision Making

With up-to-date access to service data, we can also report quickly and accurately on referral volumes, engagement rates, and outcomes. Are residents accessing support? Are they engaging? Before, we didn’t always know. But with this insight, we can differentiate between the support needs across Basildon’s six ward areas and track patterns, and shape future interventions with confidence.

Scalable Transformation

Of course, we’re still in the early stages, but the potential is clear. With the right tools, councils can move from reactive casework to proactive, preventative support. We can free up staff time, improve resident outcomes, and build systems that learn and adapt.

Basildon’s journey shows that digital transformation doesn’t have to be top-down or tech-heavy. It can start with a single team, a single challenge, and a willingness to rethink how we work. For us, it started with a spreadsheet. Now, it’s a system that’s helping us see and serve our community more clearly than ever.

Want to see how technology is transforming public services even further? Discover 10 innovative ways councils are using AI to improve efficiency, support residents, and drive smarter decision-making in this article.