Each hospital or provider of services builds a directory of all services they provide and publish this on the national menu. This is called the Directory of Services (DOS).  Each service listed on the DOS includes Service Specific Booking Guidance which is detailed information regarding Conditions Treated, Procedures Performed, Suggested investigations and Exclusions.  

Services also include a list of appropriate SNOMED Clinical Terms, to enable GPs to find your services more effectively.  Administration staff and clinicians will need to work closely together to define these services.

If you have a compliant Patient Administration System (PAS), then the services on the DOS will be linked directly to Choose and Book allowing GPs and The Appointments Line (TAL) to book the appointments. 

Patients can also change or cancel their appointments via their GP, TAL or again by logging on to the Patient Web Application (PWA). 

Advantages for booking and support staff

• No lost referral letters to track down
• Patients being able to choose convenient appointment dates and times means a reduction in DNAs
• An audit trail on any referral made using Choose and Book
• Providing your services are correctly defined, in conjunction with clinical colleagues, GPs will be able to ensure that the right patients are booked into the right clinics saving time redirecting and rejecting referrals.

In order for this to work you will have to ensure that your capacity meets demand.  Patients can only book appointments if sufficient appointments are published and available.    

More information about how other organisations are using the Choose and Book system to provide benefits to themselves and their patients can be found in the secondary care case studies under the communications section of this website.