Active Signposting/ Care Navigation

The key objective of Active Signposting (AS) is to help patients access the right care at the earliest opportunity. It is a new system of ‘triage‘, carried out at the first point of contact with the GP Practice by non-clinical staff under direction of the clinical team.

There are numerous drivers for this patient-centred approach and outcomes will include a more streamlined GP workload, improving efficiencies in terms of access to services and patient satisfaction. It will achieve this by releasing valuable GP time and resources. Staff will actively manage requests for GP appointments and safely redirect inappropriate GP consultations to the most appropriate care provider.

Overview: The key objective of Active Signposting (AS) is to help patients access the right care at the earliest opportunity. It is a system of ‘triage’ carried out at the first point of contact with the GP Practice by non-clinical staff under direction of the clinical team.

There are numerous drivers for this patient centred approach and outcomes will include a more streamlined clinical workload, improving efficiencies in terms of access to services and patient satisfaction. It will achieve this by releasing valuable clinical time and resources. Staff will actively manage requests for GP appointments and safely redirect inappropriate consultations to the most appropriate care provider. Applying the RIGHT PERSON RIGHT PLACE RIGHT TIME approach. 

Objective:  Active Signposting is a tool to develop the skills and career paths of non-clinical staff.   Staff will move away from a passive role and have a more direct impact on patient health outcomes. The skills and abilities needed to undertake Active Signposting are valuable in other new non-traditional roles such as Document Management, HCA and Care Navigation. After this web workshop, staff will be confident in advising and referring patients to care providers who work either within the practice team, primary care network or to external care providers.

Active Signposting can present a challenging cultural shift for some teams – and we will explore the mechanisms to help make the changes as smooth as possible – some of this will build on the existing understanding, within the practice, of the need to change and a realisation of benefits these changes can have.

Successful and safe Active Signposting is reliant on 3 core principles:

1. Robust agreed protocols.
2. A full commitment from the whole team to support staff in delivering Active Signposting.
3. Continuing audit of activity and outcomes including complaints and significant or serious incidents.

Training Recommendations, all staff wishing to be considered for Active Signposting:

• Should be Primary care staff and understand the course outcomes.
• Should attend the full session of Active Signposting training and understand that their work will be audited and monitored back in the practice.
• Practices should appoint a Clinical Active Signposting Champion and commit to supporting the frontline staff attending the course.
• Practices should understand that implementation must be continually monitored, audited and significant or critical events reported to appropriate bodies.

Programme

Welcome & Introductions

Learning Outcomes

• Enhancing skills and confidence to deliver care navigation, active signposting and triage
• Understanding the elements of signposting
• Realising the benefits: patients and practice
• Exploring and adapting protocols
• Using information technology to empower patients
• Maximising patient engagement within your role
• Communicating with patients effectively
• Ensuring patient and staff safety
• Making every contact count

Introduction to Signposting

This session will introduce why Signposting is now a recognised tool to meet demand on clinical time and how it can increase access. Discussion will explore the benefits, risks and limits of the approach. 

How are you feeling?

• Thoughts from a patient’s perspective
• Thoughts from a Receptionists perspective

How will the Receptionists role change with Active Signposting

Sources of help receptionists will refer patients to, including: 

• ARRS roles
• Other Healthcare professionals & services
• How to make referrals
• How to deal with a red flag issue

Practical exercises

There will be interactive exercises throughout the session that will require the attendees to think about a situation that they have previously encountered and to think about how they deal with it and what they would do differently.

This will be based on typical scenarios found in GP Practices and will be an opportunity for participants to develop new techniques to deal with enhanced patient interactions. Emphasis will be on developing confident communication skills.

Processes for Keeping patients safe

• Introduce, explore and discuss methods of how patient safety is maintained
• Review and compare protocols
• The continuing importance of Confidentiality in the Active Signposting process
• From staff point of view
• From patient point of view
• The importance of Record-keeping

Communicating the changes to patients  

Achieving effective and persuasive communication through traditional and online channels

Monitoring Active Signposting successfully in practice

Conflict

• Escalate or De-escalate
• Managing Difficult Conversations
• Recognising the signs
• Assertiveness
• Take Action
• Things to Remember

Next Steps - Formulate an Action Plan

Q&A - Summary

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