The quickest way to reach a client is the search box at the top of every screen. You do not have to be on the client list, you do not have to clear your filters first, and you do not have to know how their name is spelled in full — a phone number or NHS number works just as well.
Use it
Select the search box in the header. Its placeholder reads Search clients by name, NHS number, or contact.
Type at least two characters. One character does nothing — the search waits until it has something worth matching.
Results appear underneath as you type.
Select a result to open that client.
Each result line shows the client's full name, their known-as name in brackets if they have one, their date of birth, their NHS number where recorded, and a status badge. That is usually enough to tell two people with the same name apart before you open either.
While it is working you will see Searching..., and if nothing matches, No clients found.
What it searches
Clients, and only clients. It matches on:
first name, last name or full name,
the name they are known as,
NHS number,
the Joy client ID,
an email address,
a phone number (digits only — you can type it with or without spaces).
It returns up to 50 matches, so a very common surname is better narrowed by adding a first name.
What it does not search
Worth knowing so you do not conclude something is missing:
notes, records and consultations,
messages and conversations,
services, referrals and signposts,
tasks, forms, lists or calendar entries.
For those, go to the relevant screen and use its own filters — the Client cases list, Services, Messages and so on. There is also no keyboard shortcut for the search box; select it with the mouse or tab to it.
Hidden clients
Search respects caseload privacy. A client hidden from you does not appear here, however precisely you type their name — the same rule that applies on the client list. If you expect someone and cannot find them, that is the likeliest reason, followed by a different spelling on the profile.