What non-clinical staff must not decide

Non-clinical staff must not make judgements that require clinical assessment. That includes deciding what a symptom means, how serious it is, or that a clinician is not needed.

Even familiar requests can be unsafe if based on memory, past encounters or assumptions. A casual phrase may mask a serious problem. A calm-sounding patient may still need urgent review.

Do not decide

• A diagnosis or likely cause.
• Whether symptoms are minor, harmless or "nothing to worry about".
• Urgency based on personal judgement.
• Whether medication should be started, stopped or changed.
• Whether a clinician definitely does not need to review the request.

If the next step depends on judging clinical risk, the decision belongs in a clinical or agreed escalation process.

Avoiding False Reassurance