It’s no secret that the NHS is under pressure. A combination of budget cuts, an ageing population and the ever-increasing complexity of illnesses means that demand for GP services is growing.

The NHS now offers more community services and information on self-care options than ever before, but many patients are unaware of them or how to access them. In 2016 NHS England GP Forward View announced there was national funding of £45 million available for training. This would enable training of practice receptionists and clerical staff to signpost patients to services and self-care information, i.e. ‘care navigation’ or ‘active signposting’.

After several months of development by a dedicated team of GPs, practice managers, receptionists and patients based in Nottingham city, we are now delivering our very own active signposting training programme, ‘SignpostingHealth’.

Our vision for the SignpostingHealth programme is simple: ‘helping patients to get the best help, the first time.’

• Training sessions for reception and clerical staff, delivered by accredited trainers.
• Online video training modules for all reception and clerical staff.
• A website featuring key information and videos for patients and practice staff.
• Patient engagement materials, such as flyers and banners in practices.