For reception teams
Quick reference card
The essentials for using the toolkit on a call, on one printable page.
- Reception teams
Fits on one A4 page. Pin it up by the phones.
1. Find the symptom
- Type the main reason for the call in the search box, for example rash or ear pain.
- Check the age badge (Under 5, 5–17, Adult) matches your patient. If your practice has one card for all ages, check the age advice inside it.
- Urgent? Use the red high-risk buttons at the top of the page.
2. Read the card
- Read the brief instruction first, then follow the steps in order.
- Highlighted phrases point out key details. Your practice decides what each colour means.
- Pending clinical review means the wording hasn't been approved yet. Follow it, but check with a clinician if you're worried.
3. Urgent signs
- If the caller describes anything the card lists as urgent, such as a reason to call 999 or go to A&E, follow that advice straight away.
- If you're not sure, choose the safest option and speak to a clinician.
4. If you're unsure
- Don't guess. Ask a clinician or your duty lead.
- Tell them the concern, any warning signs and what you've already checked.
- Record the call the way your practice asks you to.
AI suggested questions
- If your practice uses them, Get Questions to Ask suggests questions from the card.
- They are not clinically reviewed. Use them as prompts; the card always comes first.
Something wrong on a card?
- Select Suggest an improvement on the symptom page. It goes to your practice's toolkit admins.
- Never include patient details.
Our practice
Duty clinicianToolkit adminHandbook and rota: ☰ Menu › Practice Handbook
For more detail, see Finding a symptom, Reading a card and When you’re unsure, or start from the Staff guide. To practise without affecting real patients, try the toolkit online.