As I am sure you will realise your Surgery is currently being overwhelmed by ever-increasing patient demand for GP appointments making it difficult for us to cope. However your problem may not need an appointment with a GP, it may be more appropriate to speak or see a different qualified and skilled health care practitioner i.e. a mental health practitioner, a musculoskeletal practitioner, a nurse or a clinical pharmacist. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that when patients are streamed by reception staff to the most appropriate health care practitioner for their problem or directed to self-care rather than always the GP, a significant amount of GP appointments (5%) are freed up which can then be used by patients who do need an appointment with a GP.
We are re- launching our streaming (sometimes known as signposting) system of work on the 6th September 2021. Initially there will be a mix of old and new systems in operation, this will allow all reception staff to become familiar with the new revised protocols.
Our reception staff are highly skilled and have all recently had update training on how to stream patients. Reception staff will be following electronic protocols, (which have been written by your GPs and clinical team) to determine when and by whom you should have an appointment with.
Reception staff will continue to need to ask you your reason for seeking an appointment. This will ensure that they can direct you to the most suitable health care practitioner at the right time.
We are confident that this system will make it easier for all patients to get an appointment with the GP when they need it, and shorten the wait to get the right help with the right health care practitioner