How to Reject a Handover

When a colleague hands over responsibility for a patient to you, you can reject the handover request if you're unable to take responsibility at that time. Rejecting a handover immediately notifies the colleague who sent it, allowing them to find alternative cover.

No special permissions required. Any organisational user can reject handover requests that have been sent to them.

Note: You can only reject handovers that have been sent to you. You cannot reject handovers you've sent (use the "Cancel" option in the "Sent" tab instead — see How to Cancel a Handover).

1. From the sidebar, click Handovers
2. The "Received" tab opens by default, showing all handover requests sent to you
3. Review the handover details in the table:
   • From: The colleague handing over responsibility
   • Patients: The patient(s) included in the handover
   • Team: The team context for the handover
   • Created: When the handover request was sent
4. Locate the handover you wish to reject
5. In the Actions column, click the red Reject button
6. The button text changes to "Click again to reject" — this is a safety confirmation
7. Within 3 seconds, click the button again to confirm rejection
8. The handover disappears from your "Received" tab
9. The colleague who sent the handover receives a notification: "Your Name has rejected your handover request" (if they're currently on duty)

What happens after rejection:

• The handover is deleted from the system
• An audit log entry is created for compliance
• The sender is notified immediately (if on duty)
• Your received handovers count badge decreases

• Safety confirmation: The 2-click confirmation within 3 seconds prevents accidental rejections. If you wait longer than 3 seconds, the button resets and you'll need to click Reject again.

• Time-sensitive: If you're unable to take responsibility, reject the handover promptly so your colleague can arrange alternative cover.

• Communication: The sender receives an automatic notification, but consider following up with a phone call or message to explain why you couldn't accept (e.g., already at capacity, unfamiliar with the specialty).

• Off duty: If you're off duty, you shouldn't receive handover requests in the first place. Make sure to set yourself to "Off duty" when you're unavailable.

• Wrong recipient: If a handover was sent to you by mistake, rejecting it is the correct action — the sender can then send it to the intended recipient.