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Triage Explained
Triage is a process by which patient access is managed in a GP surgery when all the routines of appointment booking have been taken.Triage is a method by which a health professional contacts a patient and manages their care.
Why is the Practice doing it?
- To improve access - we experience hours of wasted appointments every month where patients did not turn up for their appointments.
- To optimise GP appointments - with an ever developing workforce less complicated needs can be dealt with by other members of the health care team.
- Reduce waiting times - feedback from patients in the past has highlighted that for certain things they do not want to have to attend surgery and feel that a telephone consultation will be far more appropriate (medication queries/results etc.)
We regularly audit this process to ensure that it is achieving the goals and expectations that we set. This process is only one of the processes put in place to help us improve access and reduce risk. We will continue to work with patient groups to identify and improve areas of concern This Practice is committed to listening to feedback and working with patients to improve and develop our service.
Appointments Policy
Each day we have routine appointments that can be booked in advance for patients wishing to discuss non urgent problems at a specific time. These appointments are allocated on a first come first served basis.
The surgery offers extended hours on Thursday evenings to make it easier for those patients who cannot attend during office hours due to work commitments.
The remaining appointments are held for patients that telephone on the day. Patients are requested to call at 8.30am on the day they wish to obtain one of these appointments.
We try to make sure all emergencies are seen on the same day. If all the appointments have gone then the doctors are informed of the emergency and they may decide to give an extra appointment as per clinical need.
Whilst our system will suit most people we do realise that it may not suit everybody. Any suggestions will be welcomed and patients can help by cancelling any unwanted appointments at the earliest possible opportunity.
Telephone Advice
Doctors and nurses are available for telephone advice when absolutely necessary but staff have been instructed not to disturb consultations with non-urgent calls.
It will be usual for a receptionist to take a message from a patient for a doctor’s or nurse’s attention at the end of the current surgery.
Evening & Weekend Appointments
You can now see a GP or another healthcare professional on weekday evenings and weekends. To book an appointment, please call the surgery. To find out more about the service, including the treatment centres where you may be seen.
These appointments are sometimes delivered by local healthcare providers who we work closely with.
Our current providers are Stellar Health Care and Herts Urgent Care.
If you have booked an evening or weekend appointment in West Essex via your GP surgery and need to cancel or change it, please ring NHS 111 and select option 3.
Home Visits
If possible please try to telephone reception before 10am if you require a home visit.
A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.
House visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.
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 Health Centre.
Cancel an Appointment
It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, as this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient.
Not cancelling your appointment only delays the waiting time for everyone and is a waste of resources.
We would like to stress the importance of keeping appointments, please phone and let us know if you are unable to keep your appointment so that we can offer it to someone else.
Delayed arrival for appointment Policy
We recognise that it can sometimes be difficult to arrive on time for an appointment due to traffic and other difficulties. However, if you are more than 10 minutes late you may have to wait and be seen at a different time or asked to make a new appointment.
Interpreter
If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and she will arrange this for you.
British Sign Language (BSL) users can communicate more easily with the emergency services following the launch of a new service this month.
999BSL is a free-to-use video relay service that can be accessed online or downloaded as an app. In an emergency, people who are deaf or hard of hearing can use 999BSL to connect with a BSL interpreter. The interpreter will then call 999 using a landline to relay the conversation to the emergency services operator.
To use the service:
- Open the 999 BSL app or website
- Press the red button to video call
- Communicate with the BSL interpreter
Opening Times
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