What care navigation means in general practice

Care navigation organises how patients are directed to the right person, service, timeframe and consultation type for their need. It starts when a patient contacts the practice by phone, online or in person and ends with a clear next step.

Care navigation can mean booking a GP appointment, arranging another member of the practice team, signposting to a community service, sending information for clinical review, or escalating an urgent concern. The aim is to match clinical need and safety with available capacity, not to keep patients away from GPs.

NHS England describes care navigation as part of modern general practice access. Wales provides national care navigation training tied to GP access commitments. Scotland expects trained reception staff to signpost or care navigate as part of routine access. In Northern Ireland, practice teams use MDT roles and pathways such as Pharmacy First and Phone First to direct patients to appropriate support.

Care navigation is safe routing, not gatekeeping. The patient should know what is happening next and why.