Our Triage System
Following feedback from the recent practice questionnaire and comments made by existing and new patients we thought it important to set out again, as clearly as we can, what the triage system is and how it works.
There has been a lot of news in the press recently regarding the growing burden on general practice with more and more appointments being booked and, at the same time, resources cut.
Although it may still be difficult at times to get a routine appointment, particularly with the doctor of your choice, at short notice, we wanted to make sure that patients with an urgent need could always get to see a doctor quickly, which is why the triage system was introduced.
With the triage system, if you feel that you need to speak to or see a doctor urgently then you can.
Call into the surgery on 0121 465 4100 and we will be book for a call back with one of our GPs.
We regularly get over 20 triage calls in a morning alone and they can take a long time to deal with; some calls can be dealt with in minutes whilst other take much longer.
By triaging the GP is better able to prioritise the appointments into the most urgent cases first, if you are unable to get through keep trying.
In Conclusion
If you need to see a doctor on the day you will be triaged and a face to face appointment will be given if needed.
As a footnote, if you are calling about a non urgent matter then please try not to do so at peak times of day such as first thing in the morning when people with urgent problems may be trying to get through.
Please try late morning or mid – afternoon when the phones may be quieter.
Better still enquire about our online access service where you will be able to order prescriptions, book appointments and even view your medical record online.