Using local protocols and directories of services

Care navigation must follow agreed local protocols and a current directory of services. It should not rely on a single experienced receptionist remembering every pathway or on informal decisions made under pressure.

A directory of services should list practice roles, PCN or cluster services, community pharmacy options, first-contact physiotherapy, mental health practitioners, social prescribing or link workers, urgent care choices, dental and optometry routes, local voluntary services and safeguarding contacts.

Using a directory safely

• Confirm the service accepts the patient by area, age, registration status and eligibility.
• Know whether the patient can self-refer, requires direct booking, or needs clinician review first.
• Use the approved wording for what the service can and cannot provide.
• Do not refer patients to a route simply because the practice has no appointment slots.
• Tell a manager if the directory is out of date or a pathway does not work in practice.

Manager focus: keeping directories useful

Care navigation is safer when staff use agreed pathways rather than memory, habit or appointment pressure.