Our appointments system has changed, how has it been for you?

I blogged at the end of March about how we were changing our appointments system so that if you ring and request a same day appointment the receptionist will ask for details of your problems and a doctor will call you back. Initially we planned for just the duty doctor to do that but it soon became apparent that it would better if more doctors were available to do this.

Our system now is that in the morning all our trained doctors have the first hour of their surgery blocked off for telephone calls to patients who either want a same day appointment or have a problem that we can deal with other the telephone. Our receptionists can book patients straight into an appointment if that seems the most appropriate thing to do for example if a mum rings with a concern about a young baby or someone with asthma says they are having an asthma attack. But we are keen to speak to everyone who wants a same day appointment so that a trained doctor can assess whether you need to be seen and whether any other outcome is appropriate.

The feeling from the doctors is that the system is working better but we would value feedback from patients as to whether it is working for you. We are currently undertaking a Patient Survey so if you come to surgery please fill a form in. Alternatively drop our Practice Managing Partner an email about your experience - click here for her email address.