Compass Health Navigation

What is Health Navigation?

Health Navigation involves asking patients a few questions to understand the nature of their call using clinically designed protocols. This enables the Health Navigator to offer the most appropriate professional for the patient, which may not necessarily be a GP.

Our Health Navigation has been designed internally at Compass House by our GPs, Clinical team and patients to make sure that it is safe, easy to use and patient friendly. All of our reception team have received both internal and external training to enable them to become Health Navigators and they adhere strictly to confidentiality rules at all times.

Health Navigation is not a clinical consultation and it does not make a diagnosis or plan treatment. It merely connects the patient with the most appropriate person or service.

Why is Health Navigation necessary?

All GP practices struggle with the number of patient requests for GP appointments, with demand out-weighing the number available. There are a large number of patients that still see GPs for issues that could have been dealt with more effectively and quickly by other professionals making it increasingly difficult to get a GP appointment for those that really need to see a GP.

The aim is to improve patient access to health care professionals and other services ensuring that patients are seen by the professional best qualified to deal with their needs, which allows GPs to focus on the things only they can do.

How will this benefit me?

By seeing the right person first time patients will be able to receive treatment quicker. In turn it should become easier for patients to get an appointment with the GP when they need it, and shortens the wait to get the right help.

We are introducing Health Navigation on a phased basis to allow us to monitor the impact of Health Navigation and react swiftly to patient and staff feedback as we implement it further over the coming months.