HOW DO I...
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?

Introduction

Appointment booking is the main cause of dissatisfaction highlighted in our annual patient survey. The following explains how the system works and why we operate it this way. We can only respond to complaints if the standards described here have not been met.

The appointment service we provide

We are obliged to offer every patient a face to face or telephone consultation with a GP or member of the clinical staff within two working days of the appointment request.

This consultation does not have to be with the patient’s registered GP though wherever possible the GPs like to keep to their own lists of patients because they believe that this improves continuity of care.

What range of appointments do we offer?

The Primary Care Trust has a contract with the practice to provide a service from 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday excluding public holidays. They also contract with us to provide an additional surgery for pre-booked patients from 6.30pm to 8.15pm on Monday and Thursday evenings. Two GPs are available at these times. They have separately contracted with an out-of-hours service provider to cover more serious conditions which require the patient to see a GP between 6.00pm and 8.00am each day and at weekends and bank holidays.

Why must I ring or attend the surgery at 8.00am to get an appointment?

Some of our patients have complained that they must ring at exactly 8.00am in order to get an appointment and when they do our phones are constantly engaged.We have found that on quieter days towards the end of the week it is easier to get an appointment and they are sometimes available as late as 10.00am on the day.

We have three reception staff ready to book appointments at 8.00am each day and our telephone system can stack up to 10 calls at any one time. One of the staff is on the front desk so she takes bookings from patients who arrive there. She is also dealing with other patient requests such as repeat prescriptions, collection of test samples etc. To ensure she can deal with urgent appointments and clear calls quicker we would appreciate it if patients only visit the surgery at this time for absolutely essential reasons.

Receptionists must take patients details, ask which GP the patient wants to see and agree a time for any appointment, call back or visit. In the first few minutes after the phone lines are open it is likely that patients will recieve the engaged tone. Patients can help us and themselves by not ringing for anything other than a face-to-face appointment between 8.00am and 8.30am when the phones start to get a little quieter. Repeat prescriptions, bookings with the nurses and requests for telephone calls or patient visits can all be accommodated a little later in the day.

Having more receptionists available to answer the calls would not solve the problem as there are only the same number of appointments available and they would simply be allocated faster. We have made more appointments available by employing a salaried GP. Our practice nurse is also currently undergoing additional training so that she can take on a more complex caseload.

Is it possible for me to book my appointments online?

Yes. We offer a limited number of appointments this way via https://systmonline.tpp-uk.com once you have obtained a user name and password from our reception staff.

Why do we only offer limited pre-booking of appointments?

We have to guarantee that all patients who need a consultation are offered one within 48 hours. To ensure the GPs see the most urgent cases we do not allow any pre booking of appointments on a Monday. This is because following the weekend there is always a high demand from patients wanting to see the doctor. On other days we allocate a number of pre-bookable slots to each GP. These are available for two weeks in advance of the current day. Extending this period beyond two weeks results in higher numbers of patients who do not attend or who cancel at the last minute. Pre-bookable appointments are primarily for patients who the GP has asked to see again at a particular time. Pre-booking and specific-time booking should only be for patients who need to arrange transport with a carer or who are caring for someone who cannot be left alone. We generally try to make appointments at mutually convenient times of the day and we will allocate pre-bookable slots if they are available. We would appreciate it if patients only ask for pre-book slots when it is absolutely necessary as this maintains our flexibility for patients who find it difficult to attend without making prior arrangements with work, their carers or with transport difficulties.

What if I really must see my own GP and there are no appointments?

There are very few occasions when it is essential that a patient must see their own GP within 48 hours. If an appointment is not available with your own GP and you are prepared to wait longer than 48 hours you will be asked to ring again on the next day you want to try to make the appointment. All the GPs can access your notes electronically so unless your visit is related to a chronic disease or is in connection with an on-going serious problem requiring prior detailed knowledge then any one of them will be able to treat you to the same high standard. For this reason you will be offered an appointment with another GP within the 48 hours if your own GP is not available. On the rare occasion when you must see your own GP if he or she is seeing patients the receptionist will pass you on to the medical secretary.

The medical secretary has some discretion to override our booking system in emergencies and may speak to the GP to decide if you should be fitted into the schedule with a sit-and-wait appointment. She may also arrange for the GP to telephone you to see if the problem can be resolved that way or, alternatively, the GP may agree to extend the surgery and see you before starting patient visits.

Why am I asked if I want a telephone appointment first?

The GPs often see patients who have minor illnesses and conditions that could have been managed over the telephone. This makes appointments in the surgery less available for those who really need them. Obviously there are some occasions when even minor conditions need to be seen to enable a proper diagnosis. Skin rashes and ear infections are typical examples. Re-occurrences of minor problems that simply require some form of prescription on the other hand can easily be dealt with over the phone. Reassurance about particular symptoms is another example where a telephone conversation may be adequate there is some reluctance from our patients to ask for telephone appointments. Please remember that this can be more convenient in that you do not have to travel and you will also free up time for other patients who need to see the doctor more urgently.

If you opt to make a telephone appointment the GP will attempt to contact you twice. If you do not answer but have an answer machine, the GP will leave a message to say that an attempt to contact yhou has been made; no medical information will be left on the machine. You could be contacted at any time up to midday from the time you make the appointment. If you do not answer either call attempt you will be treated as having not attended your appointment and you will need to make a new appointment in the normal way.

Failure to attend

Any patient failing to attend either a face-to-face or telephone apointment withought offering a satisfactory explanation will be sent a letter advising them that if this happens on three occasions the patient will be removed from the practice list.

Medically Urgent / Emergency Cases

If you are telephoning about a later stage palliative care condition you should read the Home Visits section below. All other medically urgent/emergency cases will be seen in the surgery without an appointment, but this may involve waiting. If you are telephoning and have symptoms such as severe chest pain, breathing difficulties or haemorrhage which you believe may be life threatening if you are not seen immediately, you should call 999 rather than the surgery as our GPs are unable to provide an instant access service. Depending on availability, it could be up to four hours before you receive a response from your GP or the on-call doctor.

HOW DO I...
OBTAIN A HOME VISIT?

Requests for home visits should only be made if attending the surgery is not possible. Such requests should be made before 10.30am unless an urgent need arises. It is likely that the GP will telephone before making a visit to determine whether this is the best course of action. Unless your call is related to later stage palliative care you should call 999 rather than request a home visit if you believe a life-threatening condition exists. (See section above: Medically Urgent/Emergency cases). If you are telephoning about a later stage palliative care condition and need to speak to the doctor immediately you should make the receptionist aware of this fact and a GP will contact you as soon as possible following the end of any in-progress consultation.

HOW DO I...
OBTAIN TEST RESULTS?

Your GP will advise you when it is necessary to ring for a test result. If this is the case you should telephone the practice between 9.00am - 12 noon. Tuesday to Friday allowing at least five working days to obtain the results of your investigations. You will then be put through to a member of staff who can answer your enquiry. It is not necessary to ring for any other test results. Your GP will always review your results and will contact you if there is a need to discuss them when he or she has not already agreed a follow-up appointment for you. Patients who have blood tests for ongoing monitoring of INR should continue to ring at the times agreed with the practice.