Client messages & team handovers

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The practice inbox keeps patient conversations and team follow-up together. Use it to respond to an owner, leave an internal note or hand a conversation to the colleague responsible for the next step.

Open the right conversation

Open Inbox and select an existing patient conversation, or start a new conversation for a patient linked to a care episode. If a patient cannot be selected, check the episode and owner connection first.

Read the recent history before responding. Search and archive views help find earlier threads; needs-reply and urgency filters help identify work still requiring attention. Clear filters if an expected conversation is missing.

Choose a reply or an internal note

Before sending, check whether the composer is set to owner reply or internal note. An owner reply is communication to the client. An internal note is for the team and should be used for coordination that is not intended as a client message.

Check the patient, recipient, text and any attachments. Wait for the saved or sent state before treating the action as complete. If an action fails, check the existing thread before retrying to avoid duplicate messages.

The urgent flag helps the team prioritise a conversation. It is not an emergency service and does not ensure an immediate clinical response. Time-sensitive care should follow the practice's emergency contact process.

Assign and hand over work

Use claim or assignment controls to make responsibility clear. When handing a conversation over, explain what has already happened, what the next person needs to do and any relevant timing.

The thread's activity and state help colleagues coordinate. Check current ownership before sending a response, especially if another staff member is already working on the conversation. Attachment and editing controls may be unavailable while an operation or another working state prevents it; resolve the current state rather than starting a duplicate thread.

Close and reopen a conversation

Close or resolve a conversation when its immediate work is complete. Closing is a state change; it does not send an owner reply. Reopen the thread when new work is required, and keep assignment current.

If a next action has a due date or needs tracking beyond the conversation, create a follow-up task. Clinical decisions and signed documentation still belong in the clinical episode.

Review wider practice activity

For appointment volume, no-shows, visit reasons and flow measures, use the separate Reports guide. For balances and payments, use Billing.

If Inbox is missing, check the practice context, membership and whether the module is enabled. See team roles.