How does your appointments system work and why?

In August 2023 we changed our appointments system to try and ensure that it is fair for all of our patients and so that those with the greatest need would be seen soonest. In the previous system it had become an 8am shoot out on the phone to try and get an appointment. This meant that a patient with a serious problem could have phoned for several days in a row and not been able to get an appointment.

We now use an online form so that the doctors can look at all of the non-emergency enquiries coming through and then arrange appointments to help with them at appropriate timescales. This may sometimes mean a longer wait for an appointment to be seen for some less urgent things but it means that we can offer you an appointment a lot more quickly if your problem might be serious. We think this is the fairest and safest way to offer appointments for our patients.

What is the appointments waiting list and how does it work?

If you need an appointment after our doctors have reviewed your online enquiry our team add you to an appointments waiting list with the reason for the appointment and the timescale that the GP has indicated it is safe to wait.

Each week our team work down the list to contact patients to book them in for their appointments. The waiting list is dynamic which means it is hard for us to tell you exactly when your appointment will be when we first review your online enquiry. For example if there is an outbreak of a virus one week and lots of patients need to be seen that week it may mean that a less urgent problem has to wait a bit longer than we first thought.

A doctor looks at the waiting list every week to make sure that all of the patients are safe and we also mark appointments where it is very important that the timescale doesn't move to ensure those appointments are always booked within the timescale originally allocated.

Why does the waiting room look empty now?

When we contact patients to offer them an appointment, where appropriate we will offer you a choice of being seen face to face or talking to us on the phone. Many patients prefer to talk to us on the phone as this fits better with their day and as a result fewer people choose to come into the surgery.

For our doctors face to face appointments and telephone appointments are allocated the same amount of time so this is just to make appointments as convenient as possible for patients with different needs and schedules.

If our systems are working smoothly and patients are being seen on-time then there should never be more than eight patients in the main waiting room at Rosebery Medical Centre.

Can I choose which GP I talk to?

For emergency appointments this is not possible as it will depend which GP is on-call for that day. For non-emergency appointments you can let us know if you have a preference and our care co-ordination team will do their best to accommodate this for you. Where a GP is arranging a follow-up appointment for you and it is important that continuity is maintained they will let our care co-ordinator team know this for when they contact you to book your next appointment.

How do I get the best from my appointment?

When contacting us please:

• Ask for a double appointment if you have a problem that you know is likely to take some time.
• Try not to store up multiple medical problems for one appointment.
• Cancel any appointments that you do not need.
• Make a separate appointment for each person you need to talk about.

What if I miss the telephone call from the doctor?

The doctor will try and contact you on the telephone number you have given us twice with at least 20 minutes between each call. If you miss both calls you will need to contact us to re-arrange your appointment.

Does it matter what time I telephone the surgery?

For emergency problems please try and contact us at 8am on the day. For non-emergency problems we ask that you please contact us between 9am and 1pm on the phone and between 8am and 1pm using our online form.

How do you know that you have enough appointments?

We continually monitor the number of doctor and nurse appointments that the practice offers and benchmark ourselves against national averages to ensure that we have enough capacity in the system.

I have a specific communication need, how can you help?

The Accessible Information Standard aims to ensure that patients (or their carers) who have a disability or sensory loss receive information they can access and understand, for example in large print, braille or via email, and professional communication support if they need it, for example from a British Sign Language interpreter.

This applies to patients and their carers who have information and / or communication needs relating to a disability, impairment or sensory loss. It also applies to parents and carers of patients / service users who have such information and / or communication needs, where appropriate.

Individuals most likely to be affected by the Standard include people who are blind or deaf, who have some hearing and / or visual loss, people who are deaf blind and people with a learning disability. However, this list is not exhaustive.

If you feel that this applies to you or someone in your care please let the patient services teams at our surgeries know.