Creating a new bookable service

The e-RS web application will default to the ‘Services’ tab upon login. The logged-in provider organisation will be displayed.

Click on 'Add new service'.

Click on 'Start now' to begin the main service details journey.

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.

Location

The service must be located at a configured trust location.

Select a service location from the drop-down list.

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

• trust ODS code
• environment you are working in

Click 'Continue' to progress.

A service must have:

• one associated specialty
• at least one clinic type

This specialty and clinic type video (duration 4 minutes) 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 and required clinic types from the list.

Click 'Continue' to progress.

Request types

Select 'Appointment' for a DBS or IBS.

'Advice' is for Advice and Guidance services and 'Triage' is for a triage service, also known as a Referral Assessment Service (RAS).

A service can be both an 'Appointment' and 'Advice', or a 'Triage' and 'Advice'. But a service cannot be an 'Appointment' and a 'Triage'.

Are appointments directly bookable?

Select the most appropriate value for your service.

'Yes' for DBS, 'No' for IBS.

What type of appointments are available?

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

Select a suitable appointment type for your service.

Does this service support assessments and onward referrals?

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 one of the options, as required.

Click 'Continue' to progress.

Start date

Your service must have a start date from when it can be referred into.

Select todays date.

Click 'Continue' to progress.

Does the legal right to choice apply?

Select 'Yes'.

You can read more about the legal right to choice using the informational panel.

Click 'Continue' to progress.

Sex treated

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

Select a suitable value for your service.

Click 'Continue' to progress.

Ages treated

Your service must have an age option to determine suitability.

Select a suitable value for your service.

Click 'Save' to complete the main service details journey.

You will be informed that your service has been saved as a draft.

This will also generate a 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 DBS.

All the required fields must be completed before you can publish your service.

In this case:

• priorities
• referral letters
• appointment slots (DBS only)
• contact information
• users
• notes for referrer

The next steps guide you through these mandatory fields.

Select the 'Priorities' link from the Manage service page.

Priority types

Select suitable priorities for your service.

Booking window

The patient booking window determines the availability of appointment slots for users booking into your service.

Enter values for the start date as required.

Does the booking window include weekends?

If the service operates during the weekends, then this can be configured here.

Select values as required.

Click 'Save and continue' to move onto the next section.

Most services require some clinical context, or referral letter, in order to review and accept a referral.

Does your service require a referral letter?

Select 'Yes'.

What is the deadline for changes to the letter?

This is the number of days before the appointment that the referral letter, and any clinical referral information, can be added or changed.

Enter a value as required.

Exclude Saturdays from deadline?

Select an option as preferred.

Exclude Sundays from deadline?

Select an option as preferred.

Click 'Save and continue' to move onto the next section.

This section is specifically for DBS.

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.

What provider system will you use?

Decide on whether you intend to use your own test PAS, or the NHSE test PAS.

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

The provider system will be available as a drop-down when this is complete.

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.

How often do you want to poll new appointment slots?

Select a time period for which you wish to poll new appointment slots, and an estimated polling time.

Enter 1 day, and select 3am.

How long do you want your polling range to be?

This is the number of days into the future e-RS will request appointment slots from the provider system. This applies on every polling date.

Enter 180 days.

How long do you want to reserve slots for?

This is how long you can reserve new appointment slots before opening them up for general booking.

Select 'None'.

Click 'Save and continue' to move onto the next section.

Please note that you won't be able to save or publish your service until a provider system has been selected.

Contact information for the service is vital to ensuring both health professionals and patients can get assistance, when required.

For health professionals

Enter a valid telephone number.

For patients

Enter a valid telephone number and typical hours of operation.

Click 'Save and continue' to move onto the next section.

This section determines which users can access referrals made to this service.

Search and add the workgroup you made in the previous chapter.

Named and allocated clinicians

A clinician can be:

• allocated only
• both allocated and named

A clinician cannot be named without being allocated.

A named clinician is a clinician that a referrer can search for and select when shortlisting and booking services. A named clinician must also be an allocated clinician, meaning the appointment will either be with that clinician or under their responsibility. Where a clinician is defined as an allocated clinician only, then it is not possible to refer directly to them. However, users can still filter referral requests by that clinician on referrer worklists.

Click 'Save and continue' to move onto the next section.

Do you want to include a note for the referrer?

The answer to this question is mandatory but no notes need to be provided.

Select 'No'.

Click 'Save and return to Manage service'.

Once all the mandatory sections are complete, you will be informed that the service is ready to be published.

Click 'Publish service' from the Manage service page, then 'Save' to confirm.

Your service is now ready and available for bookings.

Please note that you won't be able to publish a DBS until a provider system has been linked - see '2.3 Manage appointment slots (DBS only)' section above.

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

• service name and location
• specialty and clinic types
• supported request types and priorities
• sex/age treated