Reading List

A curated Reading List to support and extend learning from Care Navigation Boundaries for GP Receptionists and Care Navigators.

This course draws on official guidance about care navigation, digitally enabled triage, general practice access and four-nations primary care arrangements. Use local practice protocols and clinical safety processes for day-to-day decisions.

1. England Care Navigation and Clinical Triage

• NHS England - How to improve care navigation in general practice
  The NHS England guide for planning, implementing and maintaining care navigation. Covers structured information capture, task allocation, safety considerations, staff training and process review.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/how-to-improve-care-navigation-in-general-practice-2/

• NHS England - Digitally enabled triage
  Describes how triage, care navigation, online consultation tools and clinical triage can overlap in general practice. Helps clarify the boundary between non-clinical navigation and clinical decision-making.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/digitally-enabled-triage/

• NHS England - You and your general practice
  A patient-facing summary of how to contact a practice, why staff may ask for details, what happens next and urgent routes when the practice is closed.
  https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/you-and-your-general-practice-english/

• NHS Digital - Capturing clinical triage encounters
  Data quality guidance for recording clinical triage in GP appointment data. Useful for distinguishing clinical triage from administrative navigation and routing tasks.
  https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/gp-appointments-data/data-quality-guidance-for-general-practices-using-emis-web/capturing-clinical-triage-encounters

• NHS England Workforce, Training and Education - Care navigation
  Sets out workforce and training context for care navigation in general practice, including the competency framework for trained frontline staff.
  https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/care-navigation

2. Scotland and Wales

• NHS Inform Scotland - General practice services
  Scottish NHS information for patients on GP services, reception teams, confidentiality, access routes and practice roles. Useful when explaining the reception role without implying clinical decision-making.
  https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/nhs-services/doctors/general-practice-services/

• Scottish Government - General Practice Access Short Life Working Group: access principles
  Sets out Scottish access principles including right care, right place, right time; the role of trained administrative staff in directing people to appropriate services; and consideration for those who struggle with digital technology.
  https://www.gov.scot/publications/general-practice-access-short-life-working-group/pages/2/

• Welsh Government - GMS contract access commitment 2024 to 2025
  Welsh Government guidance on access commitments for GP practices in Wales. Relevant for national expectations around access, routes into general practice and local implementation.
  https://www.gov.wales/gms-contract-access-commitment-2024-2025

• NHS Wales Primary Care One - Welsh Government care navigation training now live
  Announcement of the national care navigation training package for Wales, including its links to access commitments and guidance on care navigation for calls and signposting.
  https://primarycareone.nhs.wales/files/sppc-library-of-products/17-10-2022welsh-government-care-navigation-training-now-livepdf/

3. Northern Ireland and Urgent Access Context

• Department of Health Northern Ireland - Primary Care Multi-disciplinary Teams
  Describes the MDT model in Northern Ireland primary care. Helps place care navigation alongside wider team roles in GP access arrangements.
  https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/primary-care-multi-disciplinary-teams-mdts

• HSCNI - Phone First FAQs
  Patient-facing information about Phone First arrangements in Northern Ireland. Clarifies urgent access pathways and why reception teams should follow local protocols.
  https://online.hscni.net/our-work/no-more-silos/phone-first-faqs/