What to check on every card

Use this checklist for each card before you approve it. Imagine a new receptionist reading it during a call, with the patient waiting, and ask whether they would do the right thing.

Preview in Clinical Review shows the wording. Highlights, related links, images and smart visuals are easier to check on the full page, as staff see it: select the card’s name to open it. See Checking a card.

1. The right card and age group

• The age badge matches the wording: Under 5 (blue), 5–17 (green) or Adult (purple). The preview also says which group it covers, for example “This version of the symptom applies to children under 5”.
• The advice is specific to that age group. It isn’t generic all-ages wording copied into one version: staff open the version that matches the patient’s age.
• Any age-group variants (alternative wording shown as chips on the card, and listed under the instructions in the preview) are correct too. Each variant is part of what staff act on.

If your practice uses one card for all ages, there are no age badges or age filter. Instead:

• The single card covers red flags and escalation for all ages, including babies and young children.
• Age-specific advice is stated explicitly, for example as a separate line for babies or children under 5.

2. Readable by non-clinical staff

• The brief instruction (the one-line summary on the card) says clearly where the patient should go.
• The full instructions use short sentences a receptionist can follow mid-call.
• Clinical terms and abbreviations are explained, or replaced with plain English.
• Each step tells staff what to do (book, signpost, transfer, call 999), not just what to consider.
• Any icons or emojis match their meaning, for example 💊 for pharmacy.

3. Red flags and escalation

• Red flags that need urgent action are listed and easy to spot.
• Each red flag says exactly what to do: call 999, go to A&E, speak to the duty GP now.
• Urgency words and timeframes are right: “same day”, “within 48 hours”, “routine”. Nothing urgent has been softened.
• The Important notice (the red box above the instructions, labelled Important message in the preview) is correct and doesn’t contradict the instructions.
• The card says what to do if staff are unsure, or if nothing fits.

4. Local routes and appointment names

• Appointment names match what staff see in your appointment book.
• Each route is one your practice actually offers, on the days and at the times staff will be booking.
• Clinician roles (ANP, pharmacist, first contact physiotherapist, minor illness clinician) are only given work within their agreed local scope. The Clinician-type symptoms first sort brings these cards to the top.
• Local services, referral routes and phone numbers are correct and current.
• Links for patients go to the right pages.

5. Restrictions and age limits

• Booking restrictions are stated, for example “GP only” or “not for new problems”.
• Age limits for services and clinicians are stated, and match your local arrangements and the service’s own criteria.
• Exclusions are stated where they apply, for example pregnancy, long-term conditions or recent treatment that change the route.

6. Highlights

• On the full page, highlighted phrases draw attention to the right things: urgent routes, appointment names, key warnings.
• Colours don’t suggest the wrong urgency.

Highlight rules apply across your whole practice, not to one card, and changing them doesn’t affect review status. Ask your practice admin to change a rule. See Highlights and buttons.

7. Related links and images

• On the full page, the Related Information panel links to symptoms that are genuinely relevant, and each link opens the right card. (Links are switched off in the preview.)
• Images such as flowcharts or reference photos are correct and readable. Select an image to view it full-screen and zoom in.

8. Smart visual, if the card has one

If the full page shows a Standard / Smart visual switch, check the visual too: once you approve the card, staff see it. See What to check on a smart visual.

• Red flags, routes, urgency and phone numbers match the written instructions.
• Nothing has been added, dropped or put in a misleading order.

9. Compare with the original, if the card was changed locally

• For a card your practice has changed, switch between Local wording and Base wording in the preview to see what changed from the shared card.
• If Sources for the shared wording says “checked against the shared wording, not yours”, remember those sources don’t cover your practice’s version.

Before you approve

• You have read the final wording. If you edited the card, you are approving the saved version.
• Anything you weren’t sure about has been resolved, or you have requested changes instead.

If something is wrong

See Requesting changes or disabling a card.