Countersignature Overview
Countersignature functionality is available from 3.72 release.
Practitioners can choose whether to request sign off for Explanations and Conclusions, Pathways and Planning, or both sections. Practitioners can also select which user to send the request for sign off to. The choice displayed is the list of all users who have permission to sign off, regardless of whether or not they are assigned as the practitioner’s manager.
Users with permission to sign off can see and action any requests for Countersignature, regardless of which users are assigned to which managers enabling sign off cover for absent colleagues.
Countersignature Homepage panel(s) will display as relevant for users who have either of the existing permissions:
- Request sign off (permission for practitioners)
- Sign off AssetPlus Stage (permission for Managers and Senior Practitioners)
For users with the ‘Request sign off’ permission, the new ‘My Sign Off Requests’ panel will be displayed on the Homepage as shown in the graphic below:
This panel gives the total count of sign off requests for the logged on user, according to their status.
- Requests ‘requiring changes’ refer to stages where a Manager/Senior Practitioner has opted to request changes rather than signing off the stage and also where a stage has been requested for countersignature, but the practitioner has returned to make further changes (and the request for sign off will need to be resubmitted).
- Requests ‘awaiting sign-off’ are where no further changes have been made by the practitioner since the request for sign off and further action is required by a Manager or Senior Practitioner.
- Requests ‘signed-off' in the last seven days’ are requests that have been successfully sign off within the last week.
For users with the Sign Off AssetPlus stage permission, the new ‘Countersignatures Required’ panel will be displayed on the Homepage as shown in the graphic below:
This panel gives the total count of sign off requests sent to the logged on user and also the total number required across the whole YOT (regardless of who the practitioner selected to sign them off at the point of request).
Important: A single user will only see both of these new panels if they have both permissions to request sign off, and to sign off AssetPlus stages. Generally, users will see one or the other of these new panels according to their permissions, and some users may not see either (e.g.: administrative users who may not have either permission to request Countersignature or sign off AssetPlus stages).
Countersignature Details screens accessed via the Homepage panels, enable users to monitor and action Countersignature activity.
Free text notes can be recorded against the stage requested for Countersignature. The notes will pass between the practitioner requesting sign off and the manager or senior practitioner reviewing and signing off or requesting changes to the stage.
The date, time, section(s), sign-off and changes requested details of each Countersignature action are displayed in a Countersignature history listed within the AssetPlus stage summary. This is fully reportable.