For reception teams
Age groups
How cards for different age groups work, and how to make sure you're following the right one.
- Reception teams
The right advice for a symptom can depend on the patient’s age, so many symptoms have a separate card for each age group. Before you follow a card, check it’s for your patient’s age.
The three age groups
| Badge | Who it’s for |
|---|---|
| Under 5 (blue) | Children under 5 |
| 5–17 (green) | Children and young people aged 5 to 17 |
| Adult (purple) | Adults |
The same symptom can appear more than once in the list, once for each age group it has a card for. Each version is written and clinically reviewed on its own, so the advice, the appointment and how urgent it is can differ between them. Don’t assume the Adult card applies to a child, or the other way round.
The badge shows next to the name on the card in the list, and under the name on the full card.
Show only one age group
Select Under 5, 5–17 or Adult above the cards to hide the other age groups. Select All to see them all again.
- Your choice is remembered in your browser, so it may still be on next time. A chip such as Adult only above the cards tells you when it is; select × on the chip to show all ages.
- If you search for something that only has a card in another age group, the page names it and offers Show all age groups.
Remember to change the filter back when your next caller is a different age.
Age-group advice within a card
Some cards have a row of buttons for different groups, such as age bands, above or below the instructions. Your practice may have added a heading above them.
- Select the button that matches your patient. The instructions change to that group’s advice, and a line starting Advice shown: tells you which group’s advice you’re reading.
- To go back to the card’s main instructions, select Revert to original.
If your practice uses smart visuals, each group’s advice can have its own visual. When a group doesn’t have one, you see its written advice instead. See Smart visuals and suggested questions.
Practices that use one card for all ages
Some practices prefer one card per symptom, with any age-specific advice (under 5, 5–17, adult) written inside it. If yours does:
- there’s no age filter above the cards
- cards don’t have age badges
- each card covers all ages, so read the whole card for any advice about your patient’s age
- suggested questions, if your practice uses them, start with a question such as How old is the patient?
The Signposting Toolkit team switches this on at the practice’s request. Ask your practice admin if you’re not sure which way your practice works.
Related: Finding a symptom · Reading a card