New regulations require GP Practices to change the way they offer appointment to our patients.
The aim is to provide the right care to the right patient, at the right time.
Our objectives of moving to a total triage system where all clinical queries are being assessed by a senior GP:
To optimise the use of GP time. Not all clinical work needs to be directed at GPs. Queries and requests that can be directed to other suitable clinical professionals will help the GP to focus on the patients who needs their level of expertise.
To ensure that those patients who require a face to face appointment will be seen in the order of priority according to clinical need.
Offer timely appointments for less urgent clinical presentations!
From a surgery perspective, we recognise we needed to improve the data quality around demand and resource usage. This data will help us plan services and workforce more effectively, as we continue to recruit other clinicians to support our GPs.
We have identified AccuRx Patient access portal as the most appropriate platform to help us achieve our Patient access and availability goals. The software will be introduced in June and will allow 100% equality of access to all of our patients.
So, what are the main changes:
Calls will be directed to a specialist triage call centre, whom will assess and then direct the requests to the practice.
All enquiries, ( telephone, Online or walk-in patients) will be channelled through the same system, allowing the practice team to prioritise the queries coming through to the practice effectively.
Clinical queries will be routed directly to the clinical team who will assess every query submitted before 16.00 on the same day and make sure the patient knows the next step.
The Triage Team will assess flagged symptoms or conditions so that if your need is more urgent than others you will be prioritised.
AccuRx will give us information on the type of consultations we are handling so that we can over time amend our staffing mix to handle the work coming into the surgery most effectively.
If you would like to learn more about AccuRx, please visit this link:
https://support.accurx.com/en/
Elderly and vulnerable patients will be assisted by the practice to book appointments,either on the phone or in practice.
