Results and Clinical Correspondence
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Contents

Results and Clinical Correspondence

Policy

Managing test results, significant investigations, reports, and clinical correspondence appropriately is an important part of achieving the best health outcomes for our patients.

All relevant communication with patients or other providers is documented in the patient record.

See also Results Management Procedure.

Audits

We carry out regular audits of our processes for managing results, and encourage staff to raise any concerns. Any issues that arise are reported to the clinical governance group so that opportunities for process and service improvements can be identified.

Clinical governance

We ensure that all clinical correspondence has been actioned and nothing missed. Results or reports are assigned to specific staff members, who are responsible for managing and tracking them.

The nurse manager oversees in box management each day to ensure all correspondence has been actioned, and follows up any outstanding issues.

Any issues identified with clinical correspondence are monitored as part of clinical governance to ensure they are addressed in a timely manner.

Clinicians on leave or unavailable

Our inbox management process ensures the timely management of any correspondence for a clinician on leave or unavailable.

Handovers should occur prior to the clinician going on leave and after they return to ensure that clinically significant information is transferred.

Results coming into the practice

Results can arrive at the practice in different ways, e.g. electronic results, email, or paper results. All results are directed to the right person within an appropriate time frame.

Type of correspondence

Guidelines

Electronic results

  • The inbox management process ensures all inbox documents are moved to the designated provider in Indici, including any unassigned documents.
  • All results not matched to a practice patient are directed to admin to contact the sender or forward to the appropriate destination.

Emails

  • The practice mailbox is monitored by the administration team and mail forwarded to the relevant clinician/staff member to action or follow up.
  • The administration team are responsible for returning to sender, or forwarding to the appropriate person, any emails received in error. Actioned emails are copied to the relevant patient inbox, with a copy archived in the email mailbox.

Paper correspondence

  • Reception or admin staff scan all clinical paperwork immediately into Indici, and task the relevant clinician or hand to them directly.

Reports of Concern

  • If the practice receives a Report of Concern, (or communication regarding an Integrated Safety Response), for an adult or child:
    • advise the patient's GP and send a task to the clinical team
    • add a "vulnerable person" alert against the patient
    • do not scan the letter into the patient record as this is not recommended.

Telephone calls

  • Reception staff alert the relevant clinician to clinically significant phone calls verbally, through the PMS, or with a note.
  • If the call is urgent, reception staff speak directly to a clinician.
  • All clinically significant telephone conversations are documented in the patient record.

Urgent results

  • Forward to the appropriate clinician immediately.

Once the result has been received by the appropriate clinician, follow the practice's results management procedure.

Page Information

Last reviewed November 2024
Next review August 2027
Topic type Core content
Approved By: Key Contact
Topic ID: 8257

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