Total Triage at Lakeside’s Hereward Practice in Bourne will change GP appointments

A potential cure for the morning scramble for GP appointments is being trialled at a Lakeside surgery.

Patients at Lakeside’s Hereward Practice in Exeter Street Bourne will be allocated appointments according to need rather than on a first-come, first-served basis.

The practice, run by Lakeside, is introducing ‘Total Triage’ on Wednesday, November 6. From then anyone contacting the surgery for an appointment will be asked information about their health concern.

Based on that information, a triage doctor will allocate them an appointment with a GP, nurse, physiotherapist or other healthcare professional. Urgent cases will be allocated earlier appointments.

As well as speeding up the process of patients getting to speak to the right person, Lakeside says Total Triage aims to prevent the current rush for appointments when phone lines to the surgery and the reception desk open at 8am.

Dr Thomas Ashley-Norman, lead GP at the Hereward Practice, said first-come, first-served appointment allocations mean patients with urgent needs are not necessarily prioritised.

He added that under Total Triage “vulnerable patients and urgent cases will be seen quickly, while others will be directed to the appropriate services without unnecessary delays”.

Patients can still phone the practice, visit the reception, or make contact online using the Anima patient platform.

But from November 8 the person answering the phone or manning reception will have Anima on screen in front of them, and will ask patients the same questions as if they were making an appointment online.

Every case entered into Anima is assessed by a triage doctor during practice hours to determine what happens next. If appropriate, they may refer the patient to another local NHS service or pharmacy.

Dr Ashley-Norman added: “We aim to get back to our patients within 24 hours. If we need more information, we might ask follow-up questions by text or phone patients to ensure we prioritise their care correctly.

“For urgent cases, we will arrange same-day appointments, while routine appointments may be scheduled for a future date. Patients will receive a booking link via text message, or we may contact them by phone.

“We understand that some healthcare issues are best dealt with in person, and Total Triage will help us make the most of our in-person appointments by seeing patients with urgent needs at the right time. It will also allow us to book patients with their preferred GP.”

Total Triage is used in some other UK GP surgeries but it is not yet used at Stamford Surgery, with is also run by Corby-based Lakeside.

Both surgeries recently introduced a new phone system with a call-back feature to try to end the misery for patients who had been experiencing long phone queues.

Patients wanting to be more involved in improving their surgery can join the Patient Participation Group (PPG). The group for Hereward Practice is looking for new members. More information is available at www.theherewardpractice.co.uk.