Registration of new patients

When a patient requests to register with the practice, first confirm that their place of residence is within the Howden practice area, and how long they plan to stay there.  If they are not resident within the practice area, they will need to find an alternative practice.

If they plan to stay for more than 3 months, they can register as permanent patients.  If they will be staying for between 1 day and 3 months, they can register as Temporary Residents.  If they will stay for less than 24 hrs, they can be offered 'Immediately Necessary Treatment' only.

For permanent patients, ask the patient(s) to complete a registration form (GPR) for each individual, including all children.

Reception staff must check all sections are completed and signed on the correct line – use sample form, include telephone number and smear details for ladies over 20 on reverse of form if possible. Town of birth and mother’s maiden name should be included.  If immigrant from a foreign country, date of entry into country is also required.

Give patients a copy of the current Practice booklet.

Check if the patient is staying with existing family registered here – if so then they should be registered with same GP (person responsible for registrations will add to GP’s tally).  If not, inform patient the name of current registering doctor – see notice on the wall near the confidentiality booth, and add numbers to doctor’s tally. When the target is reached change to the next GP.

All patients who need any repeat medication will need to make a routine appointment with a GP to set this up.
Staff members accepting forms should first check in case patient has been previously registered here, and if so these details can be used to make the appointment, and forms should be highlighted “deducted”.  The Registration Officer can then re-register the patient later.  If not, enter the details on computer as “Appointment Only” within 24 hours or immediately if patient needs an appointment urgently:

• Click on PATIENT
• Click on NEW
• Click on APPOINTMENTS then NEXT
  Follow instructions on screen.  Any fields coloured green must be completed.  Include telephone number if possible.
• Click FINISH

Patient is now registered as “Appointment Only”.  Mark “A” in the top right-hand corner of the registration form along with your initials and place in the Registrations folder.  Registration is complete when Registrations officer changes “Appointment only” to “Permanent” and enters remaining details on computer.  Registration officer puts GPR forms into a yellow folder for each doctor and passes them to the GPs for signing. They are then returned to the registrations tray for filing.

CHANGING REGISTRATION TO PERMANENT

• Highlight PATIENT
• Click EDIT
• Click PERMANENTLY REGISTER
  Follow instructions on screen.  Any fields coloured green must be completed. If patient recently entered this country select “Not previously registered with NHS and complete details including UK entry date.
• Click FINISH
• Remove tick from PRINT GPR
• Click OK
  Patient is now registered as Permanent.

For any patients under 5 yrs – complete FOD form and give to HV.

For smear age ladies, highlight patients name, click PATIENT, then SCREENING DATA ENTRY, scroll down to CERVICAL SCREENING and click to ADD. Complete date, location and then click OK. If abnormal notify Eleanor.

NEW BABIES - When a parent comes to register a new baby, the GPR form should be signed if not already done, and attached to the Registration sheet.
 

Records Call-out Protocol

Application for the Return of Medical Records comes in from Lothian Health through the Health Board Data system “for approval” section on computer daily.

A full Data Protection summary is printed for each patient together with any correspondence showing on DOCMAN.

Using the Data Protection summaries, the notes should be pulled from the towers and the summaries placed at the front of the notes. There may be records, which you cannot find either on the towers. These may have already been sent to the Health Board, and will usually have been deducted from computer.

Once all the notes have been pulled you should work your way through the list on computer, clicking on each patient. This will give you the choice to “accept”, “reaccept” or “cancel” each patient. Clicking on the “accept” option will automatically deduct the patient from GPASS and insert an indicator to show the notes are on their way back to the Health Board.

If any records that you take off the tower don’t have a brown folder inside, check when they registered. If it was fairly recent then the notes may be with one of the office staff for integrating. The computer should be able to tell you whether the MRE has been received on the registration screen. They should be matched up and sent. If we have not received previous notes then send the notes that we do have, clipped together.

When returning notes, i.e. removing records from the green Scannex folder, look for a yellow sticker on the brown folder. This indicates that the patient is pregnant and the booking clinic date will be written on it. If the patient is still pregnant, notify Lesley of the patient’s last contact with the health centre. (This information is required for the maternity services claim.)

The Data Protection summary should be sent with the notes.

The Health Board Data system should ideally be checked daily for call-outs.
 

Deceased patients

When notified of deaths, the patient’s details should be written in the daybook, and the patient's usual GP should be informed.

The relevant secretary should be given the records to enable them to notify the Records Department St John’s Hospital, who will cancel any existing hospital appointments that may have been made for the patient.

The notes should then be passed to computer.  The death and cause of death are recorded on computer and 2 Data Protection summaries are printed. A message should be sent to the Health Board through the registration screen notifying them of the date of death.  The patient details are then deducted from computer.

One of the Data Protection summaries should then be marked in red pen with the date of death, date deducted, and date sent to Health Board.  The patient details should then be recorded on the death register on computer along with date of death and cause of death.

The records are then kept on the shelf above SAGE desk for around 2 months for filing of letters and hospital notifications etc.  They are then sent to the Health Board with a completed Notification of Death form.