Patient intake and consent

A returning patient may give a new phone number while their earlier visits still belong to the same identity. The Clinical Coordinator checks the patient number and name before opening a new record. The assigned clinician gives the team a clear starting contact for the visit. Keeping that identity consistent lets later encounters, payments and follow-up work remain connected to the person who received care.

Consent needs its own context. A signed document records a particular purpose and version, with signing and expiry dates. The patient consent summary helps intake staff see the current position, while the underlying document explains what was agreed. Review the relevant purpose before using a previous signature for another activity. The patient makes the consent decision; staff record the outcome.

• Patient identity. Clinical Coordinator maintains the patient number, display name, birth date and contact phone. Check the existing record when a patient returns with changed contact details. Resolve uncertain matches with the patient before linking a visit or recording a payment.
• Consent evidence. Clinical Coordinator or Licensed Clinician records the purpose, version and signed document. Pending, Signed, Withdrawn and Expired describe different outcomes. Preserve the signing date and expiry date so a colleague can review the consent relevant to the work at hand.
• Care responsibility. The assigned clinician identifies the main care contact. Clinical Governance Administrator manages the separate care team assignment and its effective period. Agree who should receive a handoff when the usual clinician is away, then check the patient’s record before the visit begins.

Choose a patient numbering convention and the source used to resolve duplicate identities. Agree how staff check a returning patient’s details and which changes they can make. Provide the consent wording, purpose labels and document versions that the center actually uses. Decide who reviews expiry and withdrawal before the next encounter.

Set a clear procedure for keeping the patient consent summary consistent with the applicable consent records. A summary marked Active should have an understandable basis in the documents being used for that work. Discuss how staff contact the responsible clinician when consent requires clarification, and rehearse that conversation before opening intake to the wider team.

Use a fictional returning patient whose phone number has changed and whose consent for the next visit is still Pending. The Clinical Coordinator finds the existing patient number, updates the contact information and checks the consent purpose. After the patient signs the current version, the coordinator records the document and dates, then reviews the patient consent summary. The next clinician should be able to identify the patient and read the relevant evidence without asking reception to repeat the intake.

• Patient intake register — Find the patient identity, consent summary and assigned clinician before linking a visit.
• Pending patient consent — Review consent records still waiting for the patient’s signature and supporting document.

Continue with patient intake and encounter documentation, then review privileges and care team access.