27th November 2023 New Appointment System

Right Care, Right Place, Right Time

Changes to Our Appointment System Coming into Effect Monday 27th November

The British Medical Association has recently issued new guidance on GP appointments and safe working in General Practice. Patient safety is our number one priority and so we have made the decision to change our appointments system in line with the new guidance.

Currently, the majority of our GP appointments are bookable on the day. From the week commencing 27th November, we aim to increase the number of appointments available to be booked in advance. These will continue to be telephone appointments and will be offered to patients who need a routine appointment with a GP. These appointments will be bookable up to 2 weeks in advance. Patients who have an urgent medical problem will still be able to contact the surgery and access urgent medical care on the day. On the day appointments will only be available for patients who require urgent care/assessment.

We want to help patients get the correct care from the best and most appropriate person or team to care for them. Sometimes a GP is not the most appropriate healthcare professional for you to see. Our trained reception team (care navigators) will help you find the most suitable service to meet your needs, following comprehensive guidance provided by our GPs. Receptionists will not make clinical decisions and will always adhere to confidentiality rules. A GP will always be available to discuss patients with the reception team if it is not clear what the best options are for that patient.

Depending on what is wrong, we may offer you an appointment with our Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner, our Primary Care Mental Health Nurse, one of our prescribing nurses, our in house pharmacist, or a GP. We may advise you to contact a service out with our practice such as your optician, dentist, local pharmacy, or even Accident and Emergency if this is deemed most appropriate. Sometimes, in the case of minor ailments, self-care will be suggested.

When the practice experiences demand for on the day appointments that is higher than expected and we feel that we have reached a safe maximum activity on that day and cannot offer any more appointments, the reception staff will inform patients who contact the practice. We will guide patients on what to do next, which may involve telephoning 111 for assistance or even attending A+E if appropriate. We must emphasise that this change in our appointment system is primarily for patient safety and hope that patients will understand our reasoning for following the British Medical Association recommendations.