Creating a new bookable service

The e-RS web application will default to the ‘Maintain Services’ tab upon login. The trust name will be displayed in the left-hand column.

Click on the trust name to display the associated sites.

If none are listed, it means no sites have been configured for the trust. Contact the test data team ([email protected]) requesting that sites be created. You will need to provide the:

• trust ODS code
• environment you are working in

Select the relevant site to view the current services.

To add a new service, click on ‘Add New Service’.

The service information headers are displayed in the right-hand window.

Open the 'Service details' header.

Notice that mandatory fields are displayed in red, with an asterisk before the field name.

Service ID

Saving or publishing a new service will automatically create an identifier called Service ID.

This ID may be used to link a Patient Administration System (PAS) or similar system to e-RS. This allows appointments slots to be supplied to e-RS in the case of a Directly Bookable Service (DBS).

Service name

Enter the name of your service.

It is important that the service name is notable to you, as you will need to identify and select the service when creating referrals for integration testing. Service names must be unique.

Request types supported

Select 'Appointment request' for a DBS or IBS.

'Triage request' is for a triage service and 'Advice request' for an Advice and Guidance service.

An service can exist in both 'Appointment request' and 'Advice request' or, 'Advice request' and 'Triage request'.

A service cannot be both an 'Appointment request' and a 'Triage request'.

Service location

The service must be located at a configured trust site.

Select a ‘Service Location’ from the drop-down list.

Specialty

A service must have one associated specialty.

This specialty and clinic type video explains the terms used within e-RS and how the specialty and clinic types are used to locate a suitable service for patient referral. 

Select a ‘Specialty’ from the drop-down list.

Appointment type

The appointment type is used to provide an appointment classification for reporting purposes.

Select a suitable appointment type for your service.

Sex treated

This field ensures that services are implemented on a sex specific basis when required.

Select a suitable value for your service.

Directly bookable

If you are creating a DBS, you will be linking the service to a PAS. Set the ‘Directly Bookable’ field to 'Yes'.

For an IBS, no PAS link is required. Set the ‘Directly Bookable’ field to 'No'.

Service effective date range

The 'Service Effective Date Range' will default to the current date but can be configured as required.

Publish

You won't be able to publish a directly bookable service until a test PAS has been linked. See the 'Slot Management' section below which details how to achieve this.

For an indirectly bookable service, go ahead and select the publish checkbox.

Include service on secondary care menu

Services included on the secondary care menu will be nationally available. Those that are not included will need to be locally commissioned.

Select 'Include on Secondary Care Menu' for this example.

In the ‘Clinic Types’ header, select any required clinic types from the ‘Available’ list and use the arrows to move these to the selected list.

The service priority and patient booking window section is only relevant for directly bookable services.

In the ‘Service Priority, Patient Booking Window and Indicative Wait Time Calculation' header, select all three priority options. Selecting all options will maximise visibility.

The patient booking window determines the availability of appointment slots. These values can be amended if required.

In the ‘Contact Information’ header, enter a string of numbers for:

• contact telephone number
• patient telephone line

Enter some text in the 'Hours of Operation' field.

The service personnel header lets you select which workgroups need to have access to a service.

Search the name of the workgroup you created in the previous chapter. Click 'Add' and then 'Done'.

This section also lets you designate clinicians as being:

• allocated
• allocated and named

A named clinician can be used by a referrer to search for specific slots assigned to them. To allow bookings to named clinicians, specific appointment slots for named clinicians have to be allocated within a patient administration systems (PAS).

An allocated clinician will not be searchable using the named clinician feature, but will appear in clinician drop-down lists.

The slot management section is only relevant for directly bookable services.

e-RS collects available appointment slots from a patient administration systems (PAS), or equivalent appointment system. During the booking process, the system searches the directory of slots to locate available appointments for the service.

Using the NHSE test PAS

If you do not have your own test PAS, our ITOC (IT Operations Centre) team can create appointment slots for you.

Create your test services, then contact ITOC ([email protected]) requesting that appointment slots be created.

You will need to provide:

• NHS trust organisation (ODS) code
• service IDs
• environment you are working in

Using your own test PAS

To use your own test PAS, you will need an Accredited System Identifier (ASID).

The ASID must be registered to the organisation providing the PAS. You will also have to assign your test service IDs to the relevant clinics in your PAS.

This option lets service definers specify whether the service supports clinical assessment functionality.

This functionality allows providers to review referrals and then refer them on to another service if required. If used, then users can also elect to use the 'Referrals for Assessment' worklist for the former activity.

Select 'Yes' or 'No' in the 'Supports Assessment/Onward Referrals' field.

Once the mandatory sections have been completed, you can click 'Save' to submit the new service.

You will be informed the details have been saved, along with a Service ID.

Your service is now ready and available for bookings.

Please note that you won't be able to publish a directly bookable service until a test PAS has been linked - see the 'Slot Management' section.

It is worth keeping a note of your service details for when you are ready to refer into them:

• service name
• request types
• specialty/clinic types
• appointment type
• sex treated