GP Access
There has been a great deal of coverage in the press recently, mostly initiated by the Government, about improving GP Access. Every year, as part of continuing patient care we carry out a survey of patients’ views of the service they receive from the surgery. In order that our patients make the best use of the services we provide, we thought it was a good idea to revisit the appointment system, so that we can treat everyone as efficiently as possible.
The surgery operates three sessions, five days a week:
Mornings 8.30-11.20
Afternoons 2.00-3.30
Evenings 4.30-6.30
Morning surgery is aimed to deal with acute problems – conditions that have only been present a day or two, needing relatively prompt assessment and treatment, and thus these appointments can only be booked 24 hours in advance. Telephone lines are open at 8.30 to take these bookings, and can be very busy during this time. We are resistant to implementing an impersonal (‘Press 1 for appointments…Press 2 for prescriptions..’) automated calling systems, as you often go round in circles, and fail to find that category that applies to you. Calls are queued so please stay on the line rather that redialling as you are likely to end up at the end of the queue again. We would prefer patients to avoid using morning surgery for prescription reviews or planned reviews of ongoing conditions, but rather book in advance for an afternoon or evening. An emergency condition requiring immediate attention will always be seen on the same day – it may be better to phone first thing to see if there is a slot, as if you arrive you may have to wait some time before a doctor is able to see you, and for your comfort it is best that you are in surgery for the shortest possible time. For acute and emergency conditions we cannot guarantee that you will be seen by your usual doctor. We will always endeavour to see patients in the time scale appropriate to their problem – unfortunately some still misuse the system, delaying the treatment of truly ill patients.
Afternoon and evening surgeries are aimed to deal with review of ongoing conditions, prescription reviews, and assessment and treatment of less acute problems (that may perhaps have been present for a week or two). The need for prescription reviews has been directed by the Government to ensure that every patient on any medication is receiving the right drugs, and that any required screening tests (for example blood tests, blood pressure, urine tests) are carried out on a regular basis. It is a good idea to get into the habit of booking your review appointment, preceded by possible blood tests, one month before your review is due. Your review date can be found at the bottom of your repeat slip.
If you are phoning for results we would like to inform you that these are now unavailable before 2pm – they are neither received electronically or on hard copy until the afternoon, and we would like to keep the lines as clear as possible during the morning for those people requesting morning appointments for acute problems. If you are too unwell to get to the surgery then it would be helpful if requests for home visits are made by 10am. You are however much more likely to be seen sooner if you can get a lift down to surgery, and if you phone with symptoms suggestive of cardiac chest pain or stroke for example, you may be advised to call an ambulance direct, following emergency care guidelines.
If you have made an appointment, whether it be for an acute condition in the morning, or a chronic or ongoing condition in the afternoon or evening, and are unable to keep it, or no longer require it for any reason, we would appreciate it if you phoned the surgery to let us know, and then we can offer the slot to someone else. In September this year, when we were pushed for appointments due to staff holidays, there were 41 missed doctor appointments (DNAs = Did Not Attend) and 20 late cancellations (usually minutes before the due appointment time, and thus cannot be allocated to other patients), equivalent to 4 whole surgeries. In addition there were 18 DNAs for the nurses and often these were for 20 or 30 minute slots. If we had been warned in sufficient time by the patients that could not attend, or that they no longer required the appointment, it would have made vital appointments available to others. Appointments can be particularly tight when one of the doctors is on holiday, so please make sure you cancel any appointment that is no longer needed.
We would like to remind you that the doctors and nurses are available for telephone advice if you feel that you have a problem that does not warrant an appointment in the surgery. If you would like to speak to a doctor or nurse, then it is best to leave your name, contact number and brief description of the problem over the phone with the reception staff, and a doctor or nurse should be able to return your call by the end of morning surgery or before afternoon or evening surgery – just let them know the best time for you that day.
We hope that by keeping to the above guidelines we will be able to minimise wasted appointments, allow prompt access to a doctor for acute and emergency conditions, and avoid unnecessary reminders when patients telephone to order repeat prescriptions when their review is overdue. The reception and dispensary staff are there to help, and aim to give you an appointment appropriate to your needs, but we trust you will understand that serious conditions must be given priority over those that are less serious, and delays may occur when you are waiting if a seriously ill patient needs attention.