Category: Practitioner support

How GPnetworks handles the processes and communication behind the Request and bookings

GPnetworks has developed a system that successfully automates the processes behind requesting and booking locum cover.

The system mimics the real-world negotiation involved between employer and GP and uses email notifications and reminders to drive any process started by an account holder, forward to a conclusion

The Request details:

Requests are comprised of the following things (provided by employers when making requests):

  • Date of session
  • Specific start and end times
  • Location
  • Contact details
  • Option notes:
  • Optional rate offered:

The process:

1. Practice sees a GPs sessional availability that matches their need

2. Practice makes a Request to the GP for the session in question

3. The system creates a Request in the Practices Schedule, changes the status of the GPs session in their calendar to blue, to show there is a Request the session and sends the GP an email notification containing all the details of the Request.

4. The GP logs into their account and accepts or declines the Request using features provided in the Request details box within their calendar.

5. The system sends an email notification to the Practices and alters the color of the Request in both parties calendar, accordingly, to show the changed status.

6. If a GP accepted the Request, the Practice can then Confirm or cancel the Request within their Schedule screen.

7. This alters the color of the Request in both parties calendar and sends both parties an email notification.

The four sessions that comprise a day in your Calendar

The GP Availability calendar and the Practices corresponding calendar interface shows each day as broken down into 4 separate sessions.

  • Morning
  • Afternoon
  • Evening
  • Overnight

These are not strict start and end times, rather they are a rough segmentation of days, designed to offer a starting point for the GP’s to use to advertise their availability.

We understand that sessional availability cannot always start and end at the same time and, likewise, a Practices requirements will not begin and end at the same point each day of the year.

For this reason, we cannot offer strict start and end points to the 4 sessions.

In order that GP’s and Practices can make full use of the sessional availability system, there are 2 additional things that are most useful.

1. For GPs
Each GP can write a custom message to Practices within their account. This is where each GP can specify their own exact start and end points for sessions, should they wish to.

2. For Practices
When using the built-in Request and Booking feature, each employer has to specify the start and end points of the session they are requesting cover for. This information is then sent to the GP in their notification email and saved with the Request details, in the GP’s calendar.

Summary
It is the combination of our loosely segmented days, with the two extra items above, that creates accurate and useful information for both parties.

Inactive GP accounts

What is an inactive GP account?

An inactive GP account is simply an account that does not show sessional availability to employers. All other features of the account are unchanged and you can continue to use it in all other ways.

Why is my account inactive?

GP accounts need to be updated regulary in order that the sessional availability stays relevant for employers. If you do not update your availability for 2 weeks, you account naturally becomes inactive – until you update, then it reactivates.

How do I deactivate my account ?

You do not need to do anything  – it will naturally deactivate itself after 14 days (you will receive a few reminders before that happens)

How to find locum work near you

There are a few simple things to do, in order to find locum work that suits you.

Crucial

1. Enter your sessional availability
Each day is broken down into 4 sessions – click any sessions to make them available then save the changes

2. Add you skills and qualifications
Tick the boxes next to the particular skills and/or qualification that you have – then save the changes

3. Choose your work radius and manage your list of surgeries
The work radius determines what practices are in your Surgeries list below and, by the same token, what practices can see your sessional availability and request you to work. It is a general expression of how far you are willing to travel for sessional work. After setting this radius, you can individually select or deselect any of the surgeries in your list. When you are done, click ‘save’ to save the changes.

Notes:
You are not committed to work for a practice because they are in your list. Each Request for work is negotiated between you and an employer directly.

Useful:

Your message to employers
Go to your Profile, scroll down to ‘Optional short message’ and write something that will help practices to understand why they should request you.

Upload your CV
Update you availability frequently – the more frequently you update the greater your visibility to pracyices looking for sessional cover. This is because availability for any given day is served to employers in lists, within their calendar interface. When you update your availability you go to the top of the lists.

Smartcards

As an NHS Clinician you are likely to access some of the national NHS IT applications (including the Patient Demographic Service, Choose & Book, the Electronic Prescription Service and the Summary Care Record) whilst delivering the best possible care to your patients. It is therefore essential that you can access these applications securely and that any entries and/or amendments are auditable. This can be achieved through the use of your NHS smartcard and the correct allocation of role based access controls (RBAC). In the future access to certain GP IT systems (i.e. TPP SystmOne) will be dependant upon the insertion and validation of your smartcard.

GPnetworks has provided an additional field within your GP user profile screen to allow you to record your Smartcard Unique User Identity (UUID) number. The addition of this field will allow practice staff to locate your Smartcard UUID at the time of the booking via the GPnetworks system, thereby ensuring they have sufficient time to ensure that their organisation can be registered to your Smartcard and that you have the correct Role Based Access Codes (RBAC) to fulfil your role.

Your UUID number is the 12-digit number located beneath the photo on your smartcard.

To access your GP networks profile page please login to your account and click the Profile tab.

http://www.gpnetworks.co.uk

Online discussion:
We have started an online discussion on the subject of Smartcards. Please feel free to contribute your views or ask any questions.

A discussion about NHS Smartcards

Troubleshooting:
Smartcards can expire. If you are aware that your smartcard has expired i.e. you receive access error messages when attempting to logon, please contact your sponsor to ensure they can revalidate your card.

If you do not have an NHS Smartcard and work within a set GP practice on a regular basis please speak to the Practice Manager who can advise you as to how to obtain a NHS Smartcard.

If you do not have an NHS Smartcard and do not work regularly for a set organisation/practice please contact us by replying to this email and we will put you in touch with the right person to help you resolve this.