From September we will be making some changes to our appointments system for GPs:
- All appointments will be face to face here at the surgery by default (we can change your appointment to a telephone call if there is an appropriate reason for doing this)
- We will have ‘on the day’ appointments with each GP which will open up at 8am and 12noon (available to book online or by telephone call to reception)
- We will limit how far ahead appointments can be booked so that appointments with GP Partners are available within 2 weeks and with other GPs and GP Registrars within 1 week.
- We will continue to operate a Duty Dr system for patients with urgent clinical need once our ‘on the day’ appointments are all booked.
Why are we doing this?
- Assessments of medical conditions are best done face to face – this is safer for patients and ensures less duplication (where a telephone call results in a patient having to be squeezed in later that day)
- Too much time is spent calling patients back when they do not pick up or have forgotten that they had booked a telephone call. Sometimes the problem has resolved before the telephone appointment or has been dealt with by another clinician in the meantime. This wastes an appointment which could have been used by another patient.
- Patients who request continuity with a particular GP are waiting too long to be seen – sometimes up to 2 months – so we have decided to put limits on how far ahead those appointments can be booked. If a GP needs to review your condition in a longer timeframe he/she will book the appointment for you (or will ask reception to do this).
