• Enhance the quality of care our patients receive
• Enhance access – Total Triage is shown to reduce waiting times
• Ensure patients are given the most appropriate appointment or advice to meet their needs
• Enhanced patient experience – Total Triage improves communication and ensures the patient sees the person best able to help them in a timely way

To book an appointment, patients will no longer phone into the Surgery to book appointments but will be asked to complete a short online questionnaire to allow us to assess their needs and ensure they are directed to the most suitable person to care for them.  Where possible, patients are asked to complete the request form online via our website, however, our Care Navigator team are able to support any patients who are unable to fill the form out for themselves.  Our GP led triage team will review each patient request to decide which member of our healthcare team is best placed to assist them, the most suitable timeframe for an appointment, or whether this is best suited to be by telephone or face to face in the practice.

If you have any questions or concerns our team is here to guide and support, you can contact the practice.

• We strongly discourage patients from walking in to make an appointment.  Primary care has never been an emergency service – if a patient needs immediate medical attention, you should ring 111 or go direct to A+E.
• If a patient walks in, they will be treated the same as anyone sending an online request form. The Care Navigator will assist you to complete an Anima Request Form which will be add to the Triaging GP list to be assessed.
• It does NOT speed up your enquiry – we manage the requests based on a safety system.

• Nationally, GP capacity can no longer meet the demand and so we must put systems in place to ensure our patient gets the most appropriate safe care.
•  Health care is evolving, and we need to embrace this.

• No – the majority of our more senior patients have access to the internet or smart phones and are quite capable of using the simple online system.
• We are planning to use our team at the practice to support anyone who needs a bit of extra help in the early days.

• We work hard to identify our patients who may need extra help and can flag this on medical records ensuring the team are aware of any additional requirements. 
• If someone is struggling to navigate the system, we will support in any way we can.

• Not every health problem needs a GP – over the last 5 years we have significantly expanded our team.
• Pharmacists – We have our own highly trained clinical pharmacists and technicians at the practice who manage all our blood pressure patient as well as complex medication issues.
• MSK – our team see all muscular-skeletal problems. They will see and assess the problem and come up with a plan. This may include further tests; referrals and they link directly with the hospital.
• Mental Health Workers – we are lucky to have 2 experienced clinicians who see patients to assess and help manage most mental health conditions.
• Social prescribers – our team help patient where they may have a social problem or health problems linked with social situations. They can see patients and families at the practice or sometime at home.
• Nurses – our experienced nurse team manage many chronic and acute conditions.
• Community Pharmacies – a new program called ‘Pharmacy First’ has been set up to treat several minor conditions and they can prescribe antibiotics where appropriate.
• Community Eye service – most eye conditions are managed by this team, and they link in with local optometrists.
• Self-care – many conditions can be managed with advice and support.
• Self-referral - to MSK, Podiatry, incontinence , community mental health alliance, smoking cessation etc.

• For routine planned appointments, we will give as much flexibility as possible (subject to availability).
• For urgent appointments, we expect patients to be flexible and will likely be asked to attend at any time between 8am to 6pm subject to what we can offer.  We do NOT have flexibility on these.
• For urgent health problems, employers are legally expected to allow employees to attend these (including at short notice).

Primary care remains a Monday to Friday, 8am to 6.30pm service.  There are other services available for urgent problems outside of this time.

We have to manage demand on the practice – our practice team work hard but also need to work within safe working conditions.

• We have carried out a lot of work looking at demand management and try to respond to predicted fluctuations in workflow.
• We have to remain safe – there has been a lot of concern about clinicians being overwhelmed by work stress and demand. This leads to sickness and reductions in service.
• There will be times when the work demand will exceed capacity, in this situation, you will need to contact 111 directly or contact us the next working day.