Planning

Choose and Book has been successfully implemented in the majority of practices throughout England. Much work has been done and many lessons learned.

• It is recommended that one person in the practice is nominated as a project leader for the implementation of Choose and Book. This person can then become your local “expert” and liaise with the Primary Care Trust (PCT) representatives and IT suppliers and ensure that the implementation runs as smoothly as possible. 
• A lead GP should be nominated to deal with any decisions that have a clinical bearing. This person will better understand the viewpoint of clinical colleagues and be able to help influence those colleagues. 
• Your PCT should have a Choose and Book Lead who can guide you through the implementation of Choose and Book. If you cannot get a nominated person to help you from your PCT then contact your Choose and Book Policy Lead at the Strategic Health Authority (SHA).

Roles and Responsibilities

Decide how you are going to use Choose and Book within the practice. Consider what role each user will have in terms of handling patient referrals.

All clinicians and all members of the practice who are to use Choose and Book will need a smartcard. Choose and Book is a role based application. Each person logging on to the system with a smartcard will have access to specific areas of the application and specific information. For example, a GP will have access which enables them to refer patients, browse and access published services and see clinical information that is attached to that patient referral. Other roles, for example a booking clerk, will only be able to access demographic details about the patient and see the shortlist of services that the referring clinician and the patient have chosen, along with available appointments.

Many practices already use smartcards to access clinical systems and applications. Clinicians and staff who already have a smartcard will only need to have additional relevant roles added to them. This is done by Registration Authority (RA) agents and can be completed remotely.

Your PCT will have a Registration Manager and registration agents who will be able to advise you on required roles and organise smartcards as necessary for all clinicians and other staff within the practice.

If you already have smartcards at your practice, it is likely that you will have a nominated sponsor who takes responsibility for who should be issued with smartcards and an RA agent who takes care of registration and smart card issues. They should not be the same person. If you don’t have people in these roles, then this should be arranged. Many practices have nominated their Practice Manager or IT Manager as their agent and the lead GP as the sponsor.

Smartcard Registration

More information on Roles and Registration can be found on the Registration Authority Website.

Technical Deployment

Remember, Choose and Book is a web based application. Users access the program via an internet explorer web page. Choose and Book software is not loaded onto your PCs. However, if you are using a clinical system which has the capability to integrate with Choose and Book then your clinical system supplier will need to be involved in the implementation to enable that part of their software.

If you are not already using smartcards in the practice, it is likely that some or all of your PCs will not have smartcard readers and the associated smartcard software. This will be available from your PCT IT department.

It is likely that the majority of your existing IT equipment will be able to run Choose and Book. However older machines with lower processor or memory specifications will not be suitable. Contact your PCT Choose and Book Lead to ensure that all PCs in the practice that are to use Choose and Book, meet the required specification to enable them to run Choose and Book alongside other applications that you use regularly. Your PCT representative will be able to advise you and help you to get any necessary PC upgrades. Each SHA also has access to a Choose and Book Technical Troubleshooter who will be able to help resolve any problems you encounter.

Training

Having decided how you will use Choose and Book within your practice and what roles and responsibilities each staff member will have, you will need training.

There is a training section on this website that has a comprehensive range of user manuals and quick reference guides for both the Choose and Book system and many of the integrated Choose and Book services that clinical systems suppliers provide.

Your PCT Choose and Book Lead should also be able to provide access to training which should help you to better understand your local services and how they can be accessed. For example, which of your local providers offer advice and guidance as well as accepting referrals? Or, you may have some local services that are not directly bookable, which means that patients will need to call the provider directly. The information for the patient to do this is included on the appointment request letter and the procedure is quite straightforward, but working with your local PCT representatives will give you a better understanding of how your local services work.

Going Live

Some practices have successfully gone live with all GPs. Other practices have chosen several GPs and taken a measured approach in going live. This has enabled them to resolve any unforeseen issues and gain confidence in the system before rolling out to the rest of their colleagues.

Work with your PCT Lead and choose a date that you are going to commence using the system. 

Ensure that your PCT Lead, IT representatives and, where appropriate, your clinical system support team are available to support you. If you have a close working relationship with your local provider, let them know your plans. 

The Appointments Line

Patients who use the telephone to book their appointments will most likely do so by calling the Appointments Line (TAL), managed by NHS Direct, on 0345 6088888 which is printed on their appointment request letter. 

TAL provides a telephone booking service for patients to book, check, change or cancel their first outpatient appointments via Choose and Book. It also supports choice discussion and the information held within the Directory of Services.

To find out what happens when a patient tries to book an appointment, but no appointment slots are available, please refer to The Appointments Line section of this site.