This document is a work in progress/draft. Please send any comments/feedback/queries via 'Submit a ticket'.

Links > *New* Links

The main links processing screen. This screen should have all possible items cleared from it daily. It is strongly recommended that a group of staff is responsible and this is not left to a single individual. This work needs to occur consistently to ensure patient lists are accurate (and therefore practice payments are correct).

Mythbusting

• "Only action Links messages if they go green"
  ❌ FALSE! Many links message will never go green and require action. Example: FP69 message types.
• "You mustn't use 'Auto-Action All because it will remove deductions from the Links screen"
  ❌ FALSE!  If you are relying on the EDI Administration or *New* Links screen to identify which patients have been deducted and may need record printouts sending you have been misinformed and are using the system incorrectly. Please raise a ticket for assistance.

Stage 1: Auto-Action All

This step requires very little training or prior knowledge for staff. We recommend most admin/reception/support staff are trained in completing this to ensure someone is always available to help "lighten the load" 

Click  - This actions “easy-win” messages that require little or no user input.

Things that may occur when you Auto-Action All:

1. Be advised a patient has been deducted
   We recommend you untick 'Show Message Next Time?' and the click Leave Deducted.
   By unticking the message, you will not see this message again; it will be as-if you clicked 'Leave Deducted' each time.
   Why do you recommend we skip this? You will see this message if the HA have deducted the patient and the system is giving you the option to re-apply. Doing so would require prior knowledge that a patient has been deducted in error and doing so now will interrupt your processing of the rest of Links. Where a patient has been deducted in error they can be re-registered as normal when this is identified by the surgery, patient or another care service.
   
   
2. Be prompted to cancel Appointments, Visits, Recalls and Waiting List entries for deducted patients
   By default, everything will have a tick in the Cancel column. Your surgery will need a policy on what you might choose to keep; however, in most cases it would be expected subsequent GP surgeries have their own process for reviewing/recalling patients for chronic conditions, elderly health assessments, vaccinations etc.
   One key thing to look out for that you may with to retain is if an appointment is booked to reserved clinician time for death certification or similar.
   
3. Be prompted that the patient's GP Online Services will cease working
   i.e. SystmOnline, GP services via NHS App etc
   They're no longer your patient so this is expected. Click Yes.
   

Examples of Links messages that will clear automatically when Auto-Action All is used

Messages that may frequently remain on this screen beyond a day:

• 'GP to HA acceptance notification' with status: SENT or RECEP_OK
• Errors without a patient attached. This occurs where patient has been duplicated in SystmOne.
• Close of quarter (where not all messages from previous quarter have been processed)

Manually processing remaining Links messages

Ensure your screen is sorted in order of Interchange ID (Int ID column) so that the smallest numbers are at the top.

GP to HA acceptable notification - Status: Rejected (Rejected Registrations)

Information on rejections is on a separate page.

FP69s Prior Notification ("Timed deduction scheduled")

This patient is going to be deducted in 6 months time. Likely due to mail being returned that suggests they no longer live at the registered address. This does not need to be investigated now; the most important thing is to ensure the message is Actioned ASAP. Action the message and select Take no action. This will remove the message from the Links screen and place the patient on the FP69 Administration screen for processing later. We recommend that screen is reviewed at least every two to three months, with the surgery attempting to reach the patient by means other than the listed postal address (email, call, SMS etc).

FP69 Flag removals

Action the message.  These messages will take a patient off the FP69 Administration screen.

Note: If completed out of order (i.e. If  you try to action Mr Smiths Flag removal, before the Prior Notification) it will cause errors. To avoid this ensure Prior Notifications are processed within 24 hours of arrival.