Appointment System is changing
We are making a significant change to our appointment system that will improve how we deliver healthcare services to you – we are moving to a Total Triage model.
Total Triage is a new approach recommended by NHS England, to improve accessibility to Primary Care services. The main objectives are to enhance the quality of care our patients receive, to ensure that they are given the most appropriate appointment or advice to meet their needs and that this is done in a timely way.
What is Total Triage?
Traditionally, patients would call the surgery or visit the practice in person to book an appointment. More recently, we have been offering telephone appointments too. However, the demand for appointments has increased hugely in recent years, and General Practice must address the issue of capacity, to maintain patient safety and satisfaction.
Total Triage introduces three essential components:
- Care Navigation: We request that most patients begin to contact us via our website where they will be asked to complete a new, shorter online form when making a request. If you contact the practice with a concern, or to request an appointment, our trained receptionists will conduct an initial assessment by exploring what you have already requested via the online form and/or help you to complete this (if you are unable to). This process will allow us to assess your needs and ensure that you are directed to the most suitable person to care for you. This has been shown to utilise skills and resources across the whole practice team more appropriately. Some patients will be signposted to a suitable local service by our reception team, but most patients will have their questionnaire reviewed by a GP.
- Total Triage: from the 10th April 2024 one of our experienced GPs will review each patient request to decide which member of our healthcare team is best placed to help, the most suitable time frame for the appointment and whether this is best suited to be via telephone or in person at the practice. Where necessary, we might ask you to answer a few additional online questions to help our clinicians prioritise those patients who need more urgent care. As well as offering GP appointments, following GP assessment, some patients will also be directed to other clinicians in the practice such as one of our clinical pharmacy team, our nurse practitioner or our first contact physiotherapist. By ensuring that patients reach the right person in a timely way, our clinicians will be available to answer your questions, provide clinical advice, and offer prescription renewals much more efficiently than before.
- Face-to-face Appointments: We understand the importance of face-to-face appointments for many patients. Total Triage ensures that the practice makes the best use of these, with GPs and other clinicians. Often telephone consultations work well both for patients and clinicians, and we now have excellent facilities to view photographs sent from your mobile phone which are extremely helpful to support best care.
How To Request An Appointment
To request an appointment please access the triage form below:
How Does This Benefit You?
We understand that change can sometimes be difficult, but we are confident that Total Triage will bring many benefits to you, our patients – for example:
- Improved Access to Care: Total Triage has been shown to reduce waiting times and it enables us to attend to your medical needs more promptly. By using remote consultations, where appropriate, we can free up face to face appointments for those patients that need them.
- Convenience: Using digital communication will mean that you can engage with us from the comfort of your home or workplace. No more having to travel to the practice and possible long waits for simple enquiries or prescription renewals. If you haven’t already, please download the NHS App or make your requests online by filling in an online form.
- Enhanced Patient Experience: We are committed to providing you with the best possible care. Total Triage improves communication and ensures that you see the person best able to help you, in a timely way.
- Embracing Innovation: As healthcare technology advances, we are committed to staying at the forefront of these innovations. Total Triage will enable us to adapt and evolve with the changing healthcare landscape and ensure that you benefit from the latest advances in medical care.
What if I have trouble using the new system?
- We hope to support patients and their families/carers to get used to the new way of contacting the practice and to become comfortable with this over time. We will, of course, provide additional support to those patients who are unable to use online resources.
- If you cannot use the internet for any reason, please call us – we will enter your details into our website for you. This may take longer than our previous system, so please be patient and only call if you cannot use our website. The same process will apply if you come into the surgery and ask at Reception.
How does this work for me?
After you send your appointment request on our website, if it is submitted before 12pm our doctors will review it on the same day and let you know the outcome as soon as they can. Requests submitted after 12pm will still be monitored by our team but if they are not medically urgent they will be responded to by the end of the next working day.
They may be able to help you without booking an appointment, or they may be able to help you on the phone or via video. If you need to be seen face to face, they will let you know the time and who you will see, taking into account your preferences and availability.
What do I do if you have no GP appointments left?
In the event that we run out of GP appointments, our reception team may arrange an appointment with a local pharmacist as part our pharmacy refer service or our local extended access service if suitable.
If you are unable to book for a same day appointment or one of our alternative options and you feel your appointment cannot wait until the next day please call 111.
Thank you for working together with us on this new project to improve our patient access. We welcome your feedback and ideas moving forward.
Online Services
We offer online services to our patients!
You can book GP appointments, order repeat medication, view test results and access your medical record.
In order to sign up for this service, you will need to attend the GP surgery in person, you will need to bring with you photographic ID and proof of address. You will then be asked to complete an application form. The reception staff will then sign you up to online services, you will then be given your own login and password details.
Please be aware you cannot sign another person up (adult) for online services unless we have their written consent.
Access SystmOnline here.
Appointments - Enhanced Access
Patients may be offered an evening appointment at the Wellingborough Locality Enhanced Access Hub located at Albany House Medical Centre in Wellingborough.
The Hub will be staffed by doctors and specialist nurses from local Practices on a rota basis, so we are unable to offer an appointment with a specific clinician.
At this time, evening appointments are available Monday to Friday 6.30pm to 8.00pm and Saturday and Sunday 8.00am to 12.00pm.
These appointments can only be booked through our GP surgery, please speak to reception. Do not call Albany Medical Centre direct.
At the time of booking, patients will be asked for consent to share their medical records with clinicians at the Hub to ensure that advice or prescriptions given are appropriate and in accordance with existing medications, conditions and past consultations. Consultations at the Hub will automatically be updated to the medical records at the patients’ GP Practice.
This is an exciting initiative, working with other local clinicians to extend the availability of GP and Specialist Nurse appointments to patients registered within Wellingborough Practices.
Albany House is located in Queen Street, Wellingborough, NN8 4RW.
Cancelling or changing an appointment
If you can not make your appointment let us know as soon as you can so another patient can book the appointment time. You can cancel or change your appointment:
If you need help when we are closed
- Use NHS 111 online (111.nhs.uk) or call 111. 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
- Out of hours information
- If it’s a life-threatening emergency call 999.
Try the NHS App
You can now use the NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services and your GP account on your smartphone or tablet.
You can use the NHS App to check your symptoms and get instant advice, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP medical record, access your Covid vaccination status and more.
If you already use online access you can continue to use it. You can use the NHS App as well.
For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhsapp
Home Visits
If you are too ill to come to the surgery and want to request a home visit, you must contact the surgery before 11am any requests after this time will go on to the next working day, however the GP will still triage the request. Please inform the reception staff of a brief reason why the visit is needed. All home visits are assessed by a Doctor and patients may be telephoned first. These visits can take longer than a normal consultation so they are done between the hours of 1.00pm and 3.00pm.
Home visits are only available for patients who are housebound or are seriously ill. Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Surgery.
Please be aware that Irchester Surgery has a catchment area, we do have some patients who fall outside of this area. Unfortunately if you are a patient with this surgery and you are not within our catchment area our GPs may not be able to carry out a home visit.