Care Professional Out-Patient Episode

A Care Professional Out-Patient Episode is an ACTIVITY GROUP.

A Care Professional Out-Patient Episode is an episode of care for a  PATIENT comprising a series of one or more Care Professional Out-Patient Attendances, relating to one REFERRAL REQUEST, managed by the same CARE PROFESSIONAL.

In the case of shared care by two or more CARE PROFESSIONALS equally participating in the care of the PATIENT, one CARE PROFESSIONAL will take overriding responsibility for the PATIENT and only one Care Professional Out-Patient Episode is recorded.

A Care Professional Out-Patient Episode  can overlap with other Care Professional Out-Patient Episodes, or with  Hospital Provider Spells  for a PATIENT using a Hospital Bed.  For example, a PATIENT in a long-stay WARD under the care of a CONSULTANT psychiatrist might also be seeing a CONSULTANT surgeon as an out-patient. 

A Care Professional Out-Patient Episode starts on the date the PATIENT first sees or is in contact with the CARE PROFESSIONAL at a Care Professional Out-Patient Attendance.

A Care Professional Out-Patient Episode ends when the PATIENT is formally discharged from the care of the CARE PROFESSIONAL.  Where the PATIENT  is not subject to a Personalised Out-Patient Follow Up Pathway, the  PATIENT may be discharged according to local clinical protocols after an agreed period of time. 

A Care Professional Out-Patient Episode  would not necessarily terminate because a PATIENT was admitted into hospital or placed on an ELECTIVE ADMISSION LIST; if further APPOINTMENTS in respect of the same REFERRAL REQUEST with the CARE PROFESSIONAL are intended or expected, these would all be included in the same Care Professional Out-Patient Episode, with Care Professional Out-Patient Attendances after the end of a Hospital Provider Spell recorded as follow-up attendances.

If after formal discharge the condition of the PATIENT  deteriorates and the PATIENT is re-referred to the same CARE PROFESSIONAL, a new Care Professional Out-Patient Episode  should be created.

During the Care Professional Out-Patient Episode  the PATIENT may be subject to more than one ADMINISTRATIVE CATEGORY PERIODS.

For CONSULTANT -led Care Professional Out-Patient Episodes:

• if the TREATMENT FUNCTION under which the  PATIENT  is being treated changes, but the CONSULTANT stays the same, this is a continuation of the  same Care Professional Out-Patient Episode.

• if the CONSULTANT changes but the MAIN SPECIALTY  and  TREATMENT FUNCTION under which the PATIENT  is being treated stay the same, this is a  new Care Professional Out-Patient Episode.

• CARE ACTIVITIES

   related to the same REFERRAL REQUEST  undertaken by other members of the CONSULTANT s team (such as junior doctors or NURSES) should be assigned to the same Care Professional Out-Patient Episode.

For non- CONSULTANT -led Care Professional Out-Patient Episodes:

• For REFERRAL REQUESTS  to team-led services, such as MIDWIFE  care for Maternity PATIENTS, a single Care Professional Out-Patient Episode  is recorded regardless of whether the PATIENT  sees the same  CARE PROFESSIONAL  at each Care Professional Out-Patient Attendance.