School Lane SurgerySchool Lane Surgery, along with NHS England (NHSE), have acknowledged the increasing demand for appointments and our capacity to meet this demand. NHSE has published a paper (Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care) outlining their similar concerns.
Total Triage is a new approach recommended by NHS England, to improve accessibility to Primary Care services. The main objectives are to enhance the quality of care our patients receive, to ensure that they are given the most appropriate appointment or advice to meet their needs and that this is done in a timely way whilst acknowledging the demand is high for appointments.
To request a GP appointment, we are asking all our patients to use an online form where possible. There are a range of forms specific to conditions or a general form for Nurse/HCA appointments as well as requesting a GP appointment.
These can all be found under the Appointments Tile on the front page of the website (/digitalpractice/consulting-room/ )
If you find it difficult to use a computer or a smartphone, you can telephone our reception or attend in person and our receptionists will fill out the form on your behalf. All requests for an appointment are processed this way to ensure that it is fair for all patients.
Our reception staff are not able to book an appointment with a GP directly.
All forms that are submitted are reviewed in our On Call Hub. This is a GP led hub that is supported by two trained General Practice Assistants (GPA’s). The Hub will then review all the forms received and you will be offered the most clinically suitable appointment based on the details received.
Whilst our phone lines will still be open, if you do call the surgery, we will politely request that you complete an online form. If your personal circumstances mean that it is impossible for you to do this, or for someone you know to complete the form on your behalf, our team will assist you with this.
What happens after my form is submitted?
Administrative tasks will be dealt with by our Care Navigator or Admin Teams in the usual way.
Clinical queries are screened by the GP led On Call Hub and categorised according to urgency of need. We have appointments available within different time frames, including on the same day. The hub will then contact you to arrange an appointment.
It may be possible to deal with your problem directly without the need to see a clinician. Alternatively, you may receive advice about self-care or other services you can refer yourself to for further support.
Why has School Lane Surgery decided to introduce total triage?
Experience of using this system in other Practices has shown us that patients receive a more efficient service. They have also been able to reduce waiting times to see a clinician by more effective use of appointments and ensure that patients are seen by the most appropriate clinician.
It can also be convenient for patients to engage with the surgery from the comfort of your work or home without having to attend the practice in person.
Modern general practice team is increasingly multidisciplinary, and it is more important than ever that the right problem is seen by the right person. Having a doctor screening triaging the forms allows us to do this more accurately, safely, and efficiently. Please see the recent news item on the different roles we have at School Lane to support you HERE.
It is not always a GP you need to see to receive the care needed. Recently we have seen in the surgery a loss of GP’s who move away or who have retired. Whilst we are working hard to recruit more GP’s, this is extremely difficult as there is not enough GP’s nationally to meet the growing demand of an aging population as well as population growth. This total triage approach enables more use of other healthcare professionals to support existing GPs and provide the best care possible to our patients. This is also the recommended approach advised by NHSE.
What if my problem is urgent?
You should still submit an online form. Please do so as early as possible on the day to ensure your problem can be dealt with by the On Call Hub.
Alternatively, you can call the surgery where your details will be processed and reviewed by the On Call Hub for clinical assessment.
Can I request a prescription using the online form?
Yes. Don’t forget that you can also download the NHSApp which will allow you view your medical record as well as order repeat medication.
What if I don’t have access to the internet?
We have a tablet in reception with free Wi-Fi. You are also welcome to use our Wi-Fi with your own device. Likewise, you can call the surgery and a form will be completed on your behalf.
What if a patient does not speak English?
We understand that it can be difficult for non-English speaking patients to access care, and we have no wish to make this harder. If possible, please ask a friend or family member to complete the form or consider using an online translation tool such as Google translate. If these options are not possible our Care Navigators team will assist you with an interpreter if necessary.
What if a patient is housebound, elderly, or not able to use online systems?
We recognise vulnerable patients cannot be expected to use the online form (though we would still encourage family members and carers to use the form on the patient’s behalf as it is a very useful way of communicating with the surgery). These patients will still be able to speak to the team who will complete a form on their behalf.
If you have a specific need that we have not recognised please discuss this with the surgery or with the clinician at your next appointment.
What if I have trouble?
We hope that patients and their families/carers will be able to adapt to this new approach contacting the practice and to become comfortable with this over time.
We will, of course, provide additional support to those patients who are unable to use online resources.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you would like to be more involved in discussing change at SLS you can join our Patient Participation Group, please visit the PPG page on our website HERE.
Thank you for working together with us on this new project to improve our patient access. We welcome your feedback and ideas moving forward.
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