The way you book appointments at Winchcombe Medical Centre needs to change.
Waiting times are long and people are often not able to book with the GP they know best. Because of this, some people feel they have to book urgent same-day appointments, which means we can’t focus on those in actual immediate need. This also often means that the GP you usually see is not available when you want to consult them.
As you know from our recent letter, we are not being given the funding we need to provide sufficient GP and Nurse appointments, so we have to make maximum use of those we have.
We want to try and ensure that the process of booking an appointment with your GP practice is as fair as possible whether it’s online, via the NHS app, by ‘phone or in person. We want to ensure we can prioritise the sickest and most needy people to be seen the same day.
We also have to make the best and appropriate use of the extra roles the NHS is funding. For example, going directly to a physiotherapist or podiatrist or pharmacist. For more information on these roles, visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/expanding-our-workforce/
The new system we are planning to implement is called Total Triage.
Total Triage is a new approach recommended by NHS England, to improve access to services. The main purpose of Total Triage is to:
- enhance the quality of care our patients receive
- ensure they are given the most appropriate appointment or advice to meet their needs
- communicate with patients in a timely way
How does it work?
All patients wanting to book an appointment with the practice either routinely or urgently or having a question related to their healthcare are asked a specific set of questions. This is through an easy-to-use online form, or, if you do not use a computer, tablet, or smartphone, over the phone in person with one of the team. The information you provide will help our GPs direct you to the best healthcare professional within the practice.
Once you have provided this information, our GPs will review it and arrange an urgent appointment that day or a routine appointment at a later date. We need to test the new system, but the aim is to contact everyone the same day with an appointment offer (urgent on the day or routine in advance).
This would be via a booking link sent by text or email or via a call from one of our team. The system has to work for everyone.
Other practices using this system have found it really helps patients and often queries can be dealt with quickly and conveniently, perhaps without even needing to attend in person if appropriate.
We hope that this reassures you that every patient is important to us. We believe that these changes will improve your experience with us.
We are expecting to be able to make the change within the next three months.