WHY IS THE SYSTEM CHANGING?

There is currently a higher demand for GP services than ever before and it is therefore more important than ever that we deal with appointment requests in the most efficient and effective way possible. We appreciate that the “8am rush” can lead to long waits on the telephone for our patients and that a “first come first serve” system can make it difficult for patients to speak to a clinician in the most time appropriate way. The new system offers increased routes into the surgery, including via online consultations. The aim is to reduce long telephone waiting times, book you an appointment which is most appropriate at the first time of contacting us and to avoid the “8am rush” for appointments. This ties in with the new government directive to improve access for patients.

HOW IS THE SYSTEM CHANGING?

We are introducing an online triage service which will allow patients to contact the surgery via smartphones on our website and explain your symptoms using an online tool. The surgery will then review your request and book an appointment with an appropriate clinician at an appropriate time. You will also be able to access more functions of the NHS app including appointment requests and repeat prescription requests. All requests will be dealt with within 72 hours, although we anticipate that the vast majority will be dealt with on the same day.

CAN I STILL BOOK AN APPOINTMENT VIA TELEPHONE?

You can still book an appointment via telephone just as you do now, but the online tool is likely to be quicker and more convenient for the vast majority of reasons to contact us. Telephone calls will be triaged in the same as the online system, with all requests dealt with within a maximum of 72 hours.

WHAT IF MY PROBLEM IS URGENT?

As always, if you have a life-threatening emergency you should dial 999 immediately. If your problem is not life-threatening but does require an urgent GP appointment we would encourage you to contact us via telephone. Please be aware that we do have a limited number of urgent appointments and that most problems would be appropriate for the online triage system.

CAN I MAKE ADMIN REQUESTS VIA THE NEW ONLINE TOOL?

Yes, the online triage tool will be able to process non-clinical requests such as requests for medical reports and summaries and will be able to direct these to the most appropriate member of our team. We anticipate that this is likely to be a more convenient way of requesting these than calling via telephone.

Accurx Patient Triage

Click here for more information about how AccuRx Patient Triage works.

Click here for more information about how you can contact the surgery through your NHS App.