🚨Triage and AskmyGP – what does it mean ..?🚨
The Practice operates a triage system , where all appointment requests are reviewed by a senior clinician .
Why do we do this …? Quite simply it is so we can make our system as efficient for patients as we can. We are asked many times “why can’t I just book an appointment” , or “I can’t use askMyGp “.
APPOINTMENT BOOKING
The more info we get , the more we can help.
To give some context, on a Monday morning we receive one request a minute for the first few hours of the surgery .
Not all of those requests NEED a face to face review – some people WANT a phone call or a e consultation, or actually just need help from our admin team.
We have a number of appointment options – this is all about us using NHS services as effectively as possible . Therefore the GP may direct your query to an alternative service – like the pharmacy first service , or GP Alliance (Standishgate), or at times to our First contact physio service or our pharmacy support service.
This means we utilise the GP and Advance Practitioners appointments for those people who need them most.
Gone are the days when “the doctor knows best” …there are many queries that we receive that are dealt with far better by other services
We try and arrange follow up appointments in this way with clinicians too to ensure some continuity, as we know this is valued too
AskMyGP
If you cannot use askMyGp, we simply put the information on the system for you – it does not mean you are missing out .
We strongly believe that the approach we take allows us to see patients with minimal delays , and ensures that patients are in front of the clinician they need to be in front of.
Quite simply being seen by an appropriate pharmacy service may actually be far quicker for you or your family
Please do not take out frustrations on our reception staff about not being able to directly book an appointment on the phone – we use the system we do to try and make the most out of the limited resources we have.
Dr Liam Hosie – on behalf of partners and management team