Booking safely: identity, access needs, records and handover

Safe booking requires confirming the correct patient, selecting the appropriate pathway and consultation mode, recording relevant information, and ensuring any handover is assigned and tracked.

Small mistakes can cause serious problems: selecting the wrong patient, choosing the wrong clinician or mode, missing a phone number or interpreter flag, leaving a task unassigned, or booking against the wrong request.

Safe booking checklist

• Confirm identity using the practice process.
• Check contact details and safe-contact needs.
• Use the correct appointment type, workflow or task.
• Record relevant access and communication needs.
• Follow local rules for proxy callers and carers.
• Make handover ownership visible when another person must act.

A booking is not safe until the right patient, route, mode, record and next owner are clear.

Handover and Failed Bookings