Improving Patient Access -Important Changes at The Grove Medical Group from Wednesday 31st January
Updated 3rd October 2024
Many of you may be aware of the current pressures which are affecting General Practices nationwide. The overall demand for appointments has increased greatly and therefore we needed to make changes at our practice to be able to manage this demand.
From Wednesday 31st January 2024 the practice moved to a new triage system where we ask patients to initially provide some information to enable them to be triaged correctly. This was to improve the management of patient requests and improve patient access at the surgery. To submit an request online you need to press the ‘Contact Us Online’ button on our homepage which takes you through to a a short online form which once completed is then triaged by a clinician who will then decide upon the appropriate course of action. This could be a face-to-face or phone appointment with a member of our multidisciplinary clinical team, or perhaps redirection to another provider such as a local pharmacist.
We appreciate that not everyone may have access to our website. In this case, we will be happy to receive your phone call and a member of our reception team will assist you to complete the form. The request form will be available from 7am Monday to Friday until the Practice has reached capacity. If this is the case, you will be notified and redirected to another service.
How is the new triage system working?
So far the new triage system is working well and we are receiving a high number of online requests with the majority of the requests being being dealt with the same day. It has been a transition for all staff adapting to a new way of working but everyone has worked very hard and supported each other with the change and we continue to make improvements to the system. From Monday 7th October 2024 we will be changing the times slightly and you will be able to submit your online request from Monday to Friday between 7.00am to 12.00pm and 1.30pm to 3.30pm which will allow the GPs to manage capacity safely and enable them to conduct patient home visits and process the requests in the inbox during the times it is closed. Please note – If you have a clinically urgent problem for today outside of our online triage times please ring reception who will take details and pass to the triage doctor.
Below is some of the feedback we have received from some of our patients who have submitted an online request.
‘I am not very confident at using a computer but I have found the online form easier to use than I first initially thought I would. I received an answer to my medical query quickly and overall I feel like using the new system worked for me and I will continue to contact the surgery via the online form’
‘It was easy to submit my request and I will use again’
‘The Doctor provided advice to me after I completed the form online which was very useful’
‘I completed an online form on behalf of my elderly mother and it was great, an appointment link was sent to my phone and I was able to book a convenient appointment time when I could bring her to the surgery. I also like the fact my mother can still contact the surgery by the telephone if needed and they would fill in the form to be triaged on her behalf’
‘Today, 13.3.24, 8am I used the online booking service for the first time. It was such a relief to have the ability to type what was wrong on to the online form and not hang on for ages on the phone. An hour later my request had been processed by the triage doctor and I was sent an appointment to see a nurse at the Molineux centre at 1.30pm. I have asthma and was concerned the chest infection could develop into something more serious. I have just retuned, having had a full examination and will now have a prescription to collect locally tomorrow. I was extremely impressed with the service and hope when people get used it it will free up the phone lines for people with no internet or lacking confidence to use the system. I hope the staff at the practice are already seeing the benefit and life is a little bit less stressful. Who ever reads this, please pass on this review to everyone involved. I will continue to sing the praises of The Grove’
‘Great Experience . After submitting a request online for an appointment I was contacted very quickly by phone by the GP, where he discussed and understood my concerns and offered me an appointment quickly. In the following appointment my doctor was very professional and thorough, taking time to listen and explain. Great experience thankyou.’ 20/05/24
Changes to the software provider
Our practice main clinical system is SystmOne provided by TPP. This clinical system is used across primary and community care settings. This system is what we use to book your appointments and store your electronic medical record. TPP has recently released some fully integrated triage software so it is all build in the SystmOne clinical system. The new software is called SystmConnect and the practice has decided to change to use this from Wednesday 6th March 2024. The benefits of using SystmConnect is it works with a variety of online systems and Apps such as SystmOnline and Airmed which some of our patients use to order their prescriptions. It will also be available on the NHS in the coming weeks. The clinicians will be able to access your online form and your medical record on the one system which also makes it easier for them to manage your request. The online patient form will be slightly different but still very easy to use.
Our Practice Goals
- Enable easy and equitable access to our services
- Provide rapid triage of all medical requests
- Improve collaborative working between teams within the practice
- Reduce ‘unseen’ work and ensure manageable workload for all staff
- Reduced telephone call wait times for patients
What are the core benefits for patients? 👪
Some of the benefits for patients include:
✅ Better continuity of care
✅ Reduced appointment waiting times
✅ Improved access for patients who cannot use technology by reducing call volume
✅ Improved efficiency
