Getting started
Download and install
Get Accipe free from the App Store or Google Play. A beta web app is also available at accipe.co.uk/app/web/ for desktop and tablet.
Create your account
Sign in with email, Google, or Apple. You can Continue as Guest to browse, but an account unlocks:
- Favorites and Quick Access customisation
- Posting in the Clinicians Forum
- Community tips on articles
- Contributing referral hints, admin hints, quizzes, and interpreters
Complete registration
New users select their NHS role and integrated care board (ICB). Email verification is required for password-based accounts.
Onboarding tour
On mobile, a short carousel introduces Accipe: local referrals, collaboration, clinical tools, and how to get started. You can skip it and revisit features from this guide.
Offline download (recommended)
On first launch, accept the Offline Access prompt to download the full article library. This enables browsing and cached search without signal — essential for wards, visits, and poor reception.
Main navigation
Accipe uses a simple bottom navigation bar — no hidden menus. The four main tabs are: Home, Favorites, Forum (Clinicians Forum), and Account. Surgery managers also see a Manage tab.
Home & Smart Search
The home screen
Your hub for daily use. From here you can:
- Search — tap the bar or Search chip to open Smart Search
- Recently Viewed — jump back to recent articles and drugs
- Quick Access — pinned shortcuts (customisable)
- Browse — category tiles for the full library
- Notifications — bell icon with unread badge
When offline, a banner shows Offline — showing saved content so you know you are viewing cached data.
Smart Search
One search across clinical topics, medications, article body text, and forum questions. Results are grouped by type. Try suggested searches (e.g. UTI, chest pain, sick note) or use your search history.
Offline: full-text search works on synced articles; forum search requires connectivity.
Customise Quick Access
Tap the edit icon on Quick Access, or go to Account → Settings → Customize Quick Access, to reorder and pin the categories you use most — medications, clinical tools, local referrals, and more.
Clinical guidance
Browse the library
From Home → Browse, open categories such as:
- Medical conditions
- Undiagnosed presentations
- Abnormal blood results
- Abnormal scan findings
Drill down through subcategories to article lists, then open any guideline.
Reading an article
Each article includes:
- Contents — table of contents for long guidance
- Text size — three reading sizes
- Patient Leaflet — linked PIL/PDF where available
- View Full Image — tap diagrams and photos
- Share Article — send a deep link to colleagues
- Star — add to Favorites (account required)
- Report an Issue — flag outdated content (account required)
Community tips & notes
On presentations, conditions, and abnormal-result articles, read and vote on Community Tips & Notes from colleagues. Post your own tips when signed in (online only).
Medications
Medication Search
Open Home → Browse → Medication Tools (or Quick Access). Search by generic or brand name. The header shows how many medications are in the database.
Drug monographs
Each drug page shows structured markdown content. Star drugs to save them in Favorites → Medications.
STOPP/START
Tap the STOPP/START chip in Medication Search to open deprescribing criteria. Filter by STOPP or START rules and open any criterion for full detail.
Offline: medication search uses the locally cached drug database after sync.
Clinical tools
Open Home → Browse → Clinical Tools for interactive resources beyond static articles.
Clinical Interpreters
Step-through decision trees for common scenarios. Browse All, Top Rated, or Recent. During a session, follow each branch; use Restart to begin again and rate the tool when finished.
Clinical Quizzes
Multiple-choice quizzes with ratings. Tabs: Top Rated and Recent. Tap Add New Quiz to author your own (registered users).
Calculators
Calculator content lives in dedicated categories — open from the Clinical Tools hub like any article.
My Clinical Tools
From Account → My Clinical Tools, view interpreters and quizzes you have created. Choose Clinical Interpreter (decision tree) or Clinical Quiz when adding new content.
GP surgeries
Find your practice
Open Home → Browse → GP Surgeries (local referrals). Search by surgery name. Tap a surgery to see its referral hints list.
Subscribe to a surgery
Public surgeries — tap Subscribe to get notifications when hints or pathways change.
Private surgeries — tap Request Access; a manager approves your subscription.
Add a new surgery
Use the (+) button to submit a new GP surgery. Choose public or private, enter details, and Submit for Verification. Platform admins verify ODS details before the surgery goes live.
My Subscribed Surgeries
View all subscriptions under Account → My Subscribed Surgeries.
Referral hints
Browse referral hints
Inside a surgery, each entry is a referral hint — local criteria, contacts, and practical tips from clinicians at that practice. Open Referral Details for the full text.
Add a referral hint
Subscribers (or users with access) tap (+) to add a hint. Managers may need to approve it before it appears for everyone.
Your contributions
Track hints you have submitted under Account → My Referral Hints. Edit or delete your own content where permitted.
Surgery managers
If you manage a surgery, open the Manage tab to approve subscribers, approve hints, edit surgery details, and Send Notification to Subscribers when pathways change.
Ethical & admin hints
Browse hints
Open Home → Browse → Ethical & Admin Hints. Pick a category, then browse lists sorted by Top, New, or My Hints.
Search and tags
Use global hint search or tap tags on any hint to find similar tips — sick notes, safeguarding, capacity, practice management, and more.
Vote and contribute
Upvote helpful hints. Tap (+) to add your own. Star hints to save them in Favorites. Track submissions under Account → My Ethical & Admin Hints.
Clinicians Forum
The Forum tab opens the Clinicians Forum — a UK-focused Q&A space for clinical and practice questions.
Browse questions
Switch between Newest, Top, Unanswered, and My Questions. Filter by category or search the forum.
Ask a question
Tap Ask a Question. Add a title, scenario, up to five tags, and an optional image. Enable Post anonymously if you prefer. Guest users are prompted to create an account before posting.
Answers and notifications
Open any thread to read answers or reply. When someone responds, you receive a push notification — open it to jump straight to the thread. Filter notifications by Forum in the notifications screen.
User profiles
Tap a username to view their forum activity, stats, and published quizzes or interpreters.
Favorites & account
Favorites tab
Everything you star is grouped by type:
- Surgeries
- Conditions & presentations
- Abnormal blood tests & scan findings
- Ethical & admin hints
- Medications
Use the search bar to filter a long list. Tip: tap the star on any content page to save it here.
Notifications
Open the bell on Home or Account. Filter by All, Unread, Forum, or Surgery. Mark all as read when caught up.
Account settings
From Account:
- Edit Profile — name and professional details
- Settings — theme (light/dark/system), notification sound, Quick Access, privacy links
- About Accipe — rate the app, contact support, recommended apps
- Guest Account — link email, Google, or Apple to upgrade from guest
Offline access
First-time download
When prompted, allow Offline Access to download the article library. Progress shows as a percentage until complete. This is a one-time setup (content refreshes in the background periodically).
What works offline
- Browse home categories and open cached articles
- Medication Search on the local drug database
- Smart Search full-text lookup on synced articles
- Previously viewed favorites and recently viewed items
- Login if you have signed in online before (cached credentials)
What needs internet
- Forum browsing, posting, and search
- Community tips (read and post)
- Adding or syncing new referral hints
- First-time account registration
When connection drops, the Offline — showing saved content banner appears on Home so you always know which mode you are in.