For Information and Reference

This is not to discourage contact with the practice if it is needed.

There has been a sharp rise in demand for appointments – telephone and face-to-face – in the last few weeks at the practice as well as other neighbouring GP surgeries. Since 2020, we have adapted a model of working called ‘triage first’ to manage demand for appointments.

Triage first has proved to be an efficient, effective, and sustainable way of working within the practice, convenient for both patients and clinicians. Telephone consultations have and will be your first point of contact. This is not preventing you from having face-to-face appointments, it is simply a framework being followed that has proven to be effective, efficient, and convenient for patients as well as the
Practice.

We ask that you continue to contact the practice on a day convenient for yourself at 08:00, Renishaw or Eckington. It is important you ask to see the same clinician for ongoing issues for continuity of care. Reception will then take a brief description of your issue and book you in for a telephone consultation, the clinician will telephone and then book you a face-to-face appointment at the practice if necessary.

When requesting an appointment, you may be:

• Allocated a telephone consultation to discuss your problem / issue with a clinician. Reception can advise whether you will be contacted morning or afternoon but cannot give specific times. If you need to be contacted before or after a particular time, please advise reception who will make a note on screen.
• Allocated a face-to-face consultation and receive an SMS with an appointment time.
• Sent a SMS either requesting more information to assess your problem / issue or advice.
• Prebooked for a consultation in the future – the timeframe will depend on the clinical urgency of your problem – you may receive an appointment by SMS or be called by reception to book in.
• Provided with advice which a clinician has given, and reception will call to pass this on.
• Prebooked a consultation – telephone or face-to-face – with one of our clinical colleagues such as first contact physios or a clinical pharmacist.

There is no barrier to having face-to-face consultations. However, to keep appointments free for clinically urgent cases and to cope with rising demand, we are using SMS messaging more wherever possible. This is used to gain more information and then allows the staff member to respond with advice/treatment/ suggestions. The majority of feedback we have received regarding this method of contact has been positive.

As mentioned above, this is not to discourage contact with the practice if it is needed. However, before calling for an appointment or advice, we kindly ask that patients consider if there are any other options available:

• Legitimate online resources such as such as 111 Online, NHS website can help patients self-manage many minor illnesses.
• Pharmacists can advise and support over the counter management of common minor illnesses.
• There are currently many viruses circulating causing cough, sometimes green phlegm, cold symptoms, blocked/runny noses, sinus pain, ear pain, sore throat – these are lasting much longer than previous. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for these – help with managing the symptoms can be sought from the pharmacy.

We are aware that sometimes it may take a long time to get through on the phone, or it may seem a long wait for routine appointments or for various tests. We respectfully ask that you do not take this frustration out on the staff. They are all working extremely hard with the resources we have available in the most challenging of circumstances withing the NHS to date.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.