Total Triage – Countdown

We have exciting news. We are changing our appointment system and are in the process of moving to a new way of working. You may have noticed that the online forms are slightly different and you may have already been asked to complete an online form, for example a Fit Note or general enquiry. We had a successful trial last week of the new forms for new and existing medical conditions for routine GP appointments. This trial has now ended.

On 3 March we will have moved to a Total Triage appointment system using SystmConnect. It will help us manage the demand for doctor appointments better and it will improve how we deliver care to all our patients.

In response to the pressures faced by the NHS and our patient needs, the Practice is moving to a total triage appointment booking model. Patients will be asked to complete a form online for new and existing medical conditions or admin\reception will fill in the form on behalf of the patient.

Following completion of a form to collect the relevant information, a doctor will conduct triage from your form and a doctor will then ensure you see the right clinician in a timely manner.

It will ensure we offer appointments based on medical urgency, not demand or availability. This will give our patients a smoother, more efficient experience.

Many patients are booking unnecessary doctor appointments and we are concerned that those who need to be seen are not getting timely care. Total Triage will address this issue.

NHSE has stated that there is good evidence that clinician triage and online tools (such as SystmConnect) make it easier to manage patient requests and involve the wider team, with higher patient satisfaction rates than with the more traditional, current model.

Important: On Monday 3 March you will be encouraged to complete an online form when you call or you can visit our website to do this. If you do not have online access or not confident in completing the form yourself, then the admin/reception team will complete the form on your behalf while you are on the phone. The forms will normally be available online until 2.00pm

The forms are not available on the NHS App.

Forms must be accessed and completed via our website.

Our admin/reception team will no longer book doctor appointments when a patient calls.

Further details regarding the new process will be posted during the countdown to go-live.