Since October 2017, The Practice has been conducting triage or a ‘telephone first’ system for all urgent requests to see a GP on the same day. This has proved very effective in managing patient flow and the demand for GP appointments. We have found that many requests for GP appointments have been able to be dealt with by a nurse, advanced nurse practitioner or other health professional such as a Pharmacist.
If you have telephoned requesting an appointment which is not routine in nature and is something you consider to be urgent a Clinician will ring you back to assess you over the phone. They will allocate you an appointment if appropriate either with the duty Doctor the Nurse or Pharmacist, or they may be able to advise you over the telephone and save a trip to the surgery.
If you are ringing to obtain a routine appointment, or have a question for the Doctor, please let our Receptionists know and they will help you with these requests.
It has been so successful that we have extended this system to five days a week, with our Advanced Nurse Practitioner now conducting triage 5 days, and the Doctors the remaining days.
Patients should be aware that all requests for routine appointments will still be handled by the receptionists, and it is useful to them if patients are able to clarify the purpose of the appointment if possible, so they can deal with your request efficiently.
