From the end of June 2019 there will be two important changes to the way we work at the practice. We hope that these changes will improve telephone access for patients and will also release time for GPs to see more patients.

From Thursday 27th June 2019: Telephone system

Our telephone system is becoming more structured and will have more options available at different times of the day. The first thing in the mornings will be purely on dealing with appointments requests and emergencies, with other options available later in the day, such as an option for the secretary as well as blood test results and prescription queries. We will also be able to monitor the volume of calls on the telephones using monitoring software, to ensure our staffing levels reflect the demand at peak times of the days.

Week commencing 17th June 2019: Telephone triage appointment requests will only be taken up to 11:30

Currently the GPs and nurses operate a telephone triage system where all on the day requests are added to a triage list for either the GP or nurse. They usually then advise the receptionist of the appropriate action for the patient or call the patient back themselves if it is something which can be dealt with over the phone. Currently this system runs throughout the day and thus it is difficult to plan appointments around this and manage all of the daily tasks of checking blood test results, signing prescriptions and reading patient correspondence. By structuring the day like this we hope to work more efficiently.

We appreciate your support and patience whilst we make these changes. Please bear in mind the receptionists are doing their upmost to help you and are acting in accordance with what they have been asked to do by the GP partners. If you have concerns, a complaint or a compliment you can Contact the Practice Manager at any time or complete our Feedback form online.