Hopefully, you have seen our previous posts and received our text message informing you of an important change to our appointment system with effect from Monday next week (25 November 2024). If you haven’t, please take the time to read this article: https://kingswinfordmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/…/total-triage/
We have been working hard as a practice, as we want to provide better access to appointments and ensure that the right patients are seen, at the right time and by the right clinicians.
We have listened to your feedback, read the comments you have left following appointments, reviewed the feedback left through our website and suggestion box and also listened to our team.
The demands on primary care are ever increasing as such we feel the time is now right to make changes to improve both your experience whilst also avoiding staff burn out, something all too common in primary care. Initially, it won’t be an easy journey for any of us, however, as a team we are determined to make positive change and would request your patience and kindness along the way.
What is happening:
From Monday 25 November 2024 all GP, ANP, paramedic and First Contact Practitioner appointment requests will be triaged by one of our GPs. This means that every single request will be reviewed by either Dr Butler, Dr Evans, Dr Field, Dr Halls or Dr Baron.
To enable this to happen we are requesting that those patients who are able complete the “Get help for any health problem” form on our website. https://kingswinfordmedicalpractice.nhs.uk/…/get-help…/
If you telephone the practice for an appointment, our reception team will take details of the request and complete the form on your behalf. They will no longer provide you with an appointment on initial contact, therefore, we believe that if you are able to head straight to our website you will have a quicker and more efficient experience. This will also mean that those who are not digitally able will be able to access our reception team via the telephone.
There will be no changes to the way in which practice nurse appointments are booked – you can continue to request these through our website or telephone the practice.
How you can help us:
It is really important that you complete the online form with all relevant information as this will enable the GP to determine the most appropriate clinician and timeframe. Please don’t miss sections out, provide as much information as possible and be honest with your availability.
As a minimum, the GPs need to know what the concern is, how long you have been experiencing problems, whether you have already spoken to someone about the issue and what you are worried it might be.
If this information isn’t provided our team will have to contact you to obtain further information, which may cause a delay in your request being processed.
We would kindly request that you carefully check all of your personal details before submitting them. It is surprising how many patients enter their date of birth incorrectly! The result is that they cannot then access our response, so please review and check each step before submitting.
If you submit a form please regularly check your emails and text messages as we could reply in either form. Please look out for our response as if not viewed it could delay your appointment.
Please do not submit more than one form for each problem, this will just cause duplication and delays for you and other patients. We will respond to the original request, please be patient.
There is also no benefit to submitting a form and then telephoning the practice. Once a form has been submitted we will be aware of the request and will process it in accordance with our protocols. If you telephone with further information concerning the same problem, this will be added to the original request, it will not alter your place in the queue.
We are unlikely to be able to offer every patient an appointment with the clinician of their choice, therefore please be flexible. We have a fantastic team of clinicians all of whom are trained professionals and willing to help, we know you love our GP partners, however, they do not have the capacity to see everyone, so please give a other clinicians a chance – they receive fantastic feedback from patients every month.
Prescriptions:
We all know time is precious so if you are able to use the NHS App to order your prescriptions please do so. The app is secure and will list the medication you are able to order, this will save you having to write them out and put them through the letterbox or type them out on our website.
Please bear with us during this period of change. All of our staff are fully engaged, however, we know the first few weeks will be a challenge. Please be patient, please be kind, we will be doing our best at all times, everyone will be working hard to ensure we provide the best possible service to our patients.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message and for your continued support.
Victoria – Practice Business Manager