Update on our online triage service

Enquiries have been coming in from patients using our new online assess service for the first time so we thought it would be helpful to give an update on what is behind it. Any new system needs adjustment, especially when it involves online technology, but we are confident that a) change was needed and b) the new system will bring significant improvement for all our patients.

Firstly, our phone lines are still fully open for those patients who need to book an appointment in that way. We know there are vulnerable patients who can’t get online and every patient who moves over to the new system is helping to free our phone lines for those who cannot.

As a practice we decided that the long waits that many patients were having on the phone, and the ‘8 o’clock rush’, common to so many practices, were not acceptable. All our efforts to improve matters were ineffective. It was clear that a bigger change was needed.

In line with the NHS England national plan to restore primary care access, we introduced an online triaging system in August, called AccuRx. On AccuRx, patients can register a non-urgent query on anything from requesting a consultation to checking a prescription. Trained care navigators review each query. Patients who need an appointment are either allocated one directly or sent a link to book one when it suits.

Patients can find the online triaging system either through the NHS App or on our practice website www.ridgacremedicalcentres.com. We encourage patients to use the online facility instead of phoning us if they can. This  reduces call waiting times and gives us enough capacity to speak to those patients are not able to book online. All queries are rapidly screened for urgency. We have a maximum 48-hour turnaround, but in practice we respond well before this, often the same morning or afternoon.

Patients who have made the switch say they are impressed. We are seeing improvements in appointment flow and fewer phone calls. We are also prioritising appointments better according to clinical need.

Our superb receptionists are working hard to help those who need support to use the new system for the first time. Inevitably these conversations each take a little time, so although call numbers have dropped, call waiting times are still longer than we are aiming for. This will improve as more people make the switch.

During lockdown we were hugely grateful for how our patients adapted to the changes needed then. This same partnership approach will help us embrace the new online system together, to make our whole team available to everyone who needs us, when you need us.