19ECG & Investigation Chasing

Purpose

Tracking investigations the service is waiting on from patients or external providers, and escalating when they stall.

Procedure

1. Add the patient to the ECG or investigations tab.
2. Record what is being waited on, the last appointment date, the date the request letter was sent and the date the letter went to the GP.
3. Record any comments from the GP.
4. Send the 8-week letter asking the patient to contact the service to arrange the ECG.
5. Chase monthly. Record the date last chased and the number of times chased.
6. Record the date the ECG is booked, whether it has been completed, and whether the report has been received.
7. Where the patient is self-paying, record whether the invoice has been paid.
8. If an investigation has been chased more than 6 times, escalate to MDT (C4) for a decision on what to do next.
9. Mark the status complete once the report is in.

Fields recorded

NHS number · name · funding stream · what is awaited · ECG requested (Y/N) · comments from GP · 8-week letter sent · last appointment date · date request letter sent · date letter sent to GP · date last chased · number of chases · date ECG booked · completed (Y/N) · report received (Y/N) · invoice paid (self-pay only) · status

Notes

• The 6-chase escalation rule is a hard trigger - it does not wait for an expiry date.

Open points

• What puts a patient onto the ECG tab in the first place.
• Who performs the ECG - in-house, GP or external provider.
• Who chases the report when the ECG is done but the report has not arrived.

Flowchart