Adding Patients to the Platform

This guide will detail step-by-step how to add patients to the Inhealthcare (IHC) platform in different ways:

• Via the patient search, including advanced searching
• Importing patients lists, allowing for multiple patients to be added to the platform at the same time.

If you are not familiar with the IHC platform, please view our guide for Navigating the Inhealthcare platform.

Sandpit Environment Only

Test patients must only be added to the Sandpit/training environment.
Do not add patients to the live platform.

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Some screenshots refer to the PDS and NHS Numbers. If you are based in Scotland, instead of the PDS, you will be searching the SCI for a CHI number.
If you are based in Ireland or Wales, please use the patient's HCN instead of NHS number.

Using the Add Button

If your service does not use a PDS Lookup Tool to connect to the NHS Spine, your patient search bar will include an Add button. This can be used to add a patient.

1. Click Add.

2. Complete all sections of the Add patient screen.
   All fields within the Add patient screen are mandatory, unless marked with optional.
   

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   Whichever option is selected from the Preferred contact number field will make that applicable field mandatory. E.g. if Mobile number is selected, a number must be entered into the Mobile phone field before you can continue.

3. Click Next.
   The Review screen will open.

4. Click Finish to save the patient.

5. The following options will display:

   • Activate patient services - this will take you to the Services section of the patient record.
   • Add more details - this will allow you to edit the patient's personal details.
   • View patient - this will take you to the patient record.

Using the Advanced Search Option

If your service does not include an Add button:

1. Navigate to the search bar and enter the patient's NHS (HCN or CHI) number into the search bar and click enter.
   When the search returns no patients, the Patient search screen will open.

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   Alternatively, use the drop-down in the search bar to select Advanced search.
   

2. On the screen that opens, there may be 3 options to choose from:

• Inhealthcare: searches the Inhealthcare portal only (not the Spine). This option will not let you add the patient to the platform.

• PDS with NHS Number: Adds to the portal by first searching the NHS Spine and populating details from there. NHS (HCN or CHI) number and date of birth are the minimum fields required for this option.

• PDS without NHS Number: Adds to the portal by first searching the NHS Spine and populating details from there. Family name, gender, and date of birth are the minimum fields required for this option.

  WARNING

  The above options will only show if your organisation is linked to the Patient Demographic Service (PDS), which is the national electronic database of NHS patient details.
  If your organisation is not linked to the PDS, you will need to add the patient using the Add Button shown on your search bar.

3. Select PDS with NHS Number or PDS without NHS Number and fill in the details as required for the patient.
   

Not all fields will display, depending on which Search source has been chosen.

Information Fields Explained

• Search source: lookup tool.

• Family name: surname of the patient, this field will show for all search sources.

• Given name: first name of the patient, this field will show for all search sources.

• Date of birth: typed or selected via the icon, this field will show for all search sources.

• NHS Number: this will automatically format, this field will show for all search sources.

• Include deactivated patient records: only applicable for Inhealthcare searches.

• Search in organisation: only applicable for PDS/SCI without NHS/CHI number searches.

• Postcode: only applicable for PDS/SCI without NHS/CHI number searches.

• Gender: only applicable for PDS/SCI without NHS/CHI number searches.

4. Click Find patient

5. The PDS search results screen will show and display all information pulled from the Spine.

6. Complete any missing fields.

   Contact information

   Most service pathways will require the patient to have an email address and/or contact telephone number. It is good practice to add these now if they are not already available.

   If adding the patient for testing purposes (Sandpit ONLY)

   Test information may have been provided by your account manager. If not already provided, be sure the info you enter is memorable/appropriate.

   • Email address - enter one you have access to. Multiple patients can use the same email address for testing purposes only.

   • Preferred contact number - if the service is configured to send SMS to patients, a message will be sent to the mobile number entered. Be sure that you enter the number of a phone you have access to.

7. Click one of the following options will display:

   • Add and view patient - this will take you to the newly created patient record.
   • Add and activate services - this will take you to a screen with a dropdown of available services to activate. Follow your service user guide for how to enrol the patient.

Import Patient List

Patients can be bulk uploaded into the Portal by downloading the import patient list template. This is then re-uploaded into the Portal once the patient information has been added. Please note, this option may not be available to your organisation.

1. Select Import patient list.

2. A service to refer the imported patients onto can optionally be selected from the dropdown.

3. Click Download imported patient list template.
   
   This will download to your computer.

4. Complete the template by adding in the required patient information and save as an .xlsx file.

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   The source namespace value provided will indicate which external system the imported data originated from. Common namespaces are EMIS and SYSTM_ONE, denoting that patient data is from a particular GP system, and allowing Inhealthcare data to be uploaded back to these systems.

   Please see the help text on the spreadsheet itself for more guidance.

5. On the portal screen, click Next.

6. Upload the template by using the Choose file button, or dragging your file onto the area marked Or, drag and drop a file.
   

7. Click Upload file.

8. Click Next and then Finish.

Once uploaded, the number of successful patients uploaded will display.

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If any of the patients fail to import, this will allow you to download failures and will create an Excel spreadsheet to view.

Support

If you have any questions, please contact our Support Desk via email support@inhealthcare.co.uk or telephone 0300 247 8600.