Advanced Patient Notice – Our Appointment System is Changing
Our appointment system is changing.
We are writing to thank you for your feedback regarding our appointment systems and wished to let you know that from the 29th of April, we are changing our appointment system. You have asked for the ability to forward book appointments and have more choice about accessing the practice. We recognise that there is no one size fits all approach, but have taken as much feedback into consideration as possible when designing our new system. When you contact the practice by telephone, one of our trained receptionists/care navigators will speak to you and try to ensure that we manage your problem in the best way possible. In order to achieve this, you will be asked to provide details of the reason you are contacting the practice. This is important to ensure that we can give you the appropriate advice or an appointment with the appropriate clinician within the practice who can manage your problem. If there is agreement that you need to have an appointment at the practice with one of our clinicians, you will be offered for this to be either a telephone consultation or a face to face appointment. There are certain conditions that need to be seen face to face and our receptionists/care navigators will guide that conversation, for example if you contact with abdominal pain or a rash, these are better seen in person. We will then try to facilitate a time that is convenient for you. We may however advise you that your problem could be managed by a different service and you will be signposted to that service.
If you are allocated a telephone consultation you will be given a time around which that call will be made. We will try to call you twice around that time, however, if we are unable to get you, we will not be able to try again. It is important to note that the appointment times are designed for the clinicians to manage one problem, so if you have multiple issues, you may need to ask for a double appointment or multiple appointments. We will send out text message reminders for face to face appointments made in advance, but regrettably cannot send out reminders for telephone appointments.
There are limited numbers of clinicians and therefore appointments which means that it is likely we cannot provide enough appointments to meet all demand and we will run out of appointments during the course of the day. If this is the case, you will be asked to highlight if you believe your problem is urgent and the receptionists will take details of the problem. When a senior clinician becomes available, your case will be discussed with them and an outcome communicated to you. We need to prioritise those with the greatest clinical need so you may not be seen that day and you may be provided advice to contact another service.
We hope that our new system will benefit patients and clinicians, but we are happy to receive constructive feedback.
Many thanks.