CHANGES TO APPOINTMENT SYSTEM AT
GIFFORDS SURGERY
Dear Patients
As some of you will know we have introduced a new “on the day”appointment system. We feel this is more beneficial for patients because it allows you to phone on the day you want to be seen when your ownGP is working. You will receive a phone call from him/her and they will review your problem. If the clinician can deal with your problem over the phone they will do so, but if they feel that they need to see you they will arrange an appointment for you on the same day.
This will avoid patients having to wait long periods of time to see their GP, or booking appointments just in case they need them. It will eradicate the problem with patients who fail to attend, which will create a huge saving of appointments.
Patients need to phone on the day they want to be seen, you will be given a phone appointment with the most appropriate clinician, ideally your own GP, if you phone on the day that your GP is working.
The Clinician will discuss your problem over the phone with you and if they are able toresolve the problem for you this will mean you do not need to come to the surgery. If the Clinician feels it is a problem that is best dealt with face-to-face, they will arrange a mutually convenient appointment with you, usually on the same day. This should be much more efficient and satisfactory for patients.
Patients are getting their problems resolved much more quickly than we were able to do under the old appointment system.
Patients can help with demand on appointments by only contacting us only when necessary, there are other resources available that can be used by patients to help manage their problems.
These are:
- By using over the counter medication,
- Obtaining advice from your local pharmacist,
- If you are able to use a computer - using the resources available at NHS Choices
- By phoning 111 and asking for advice from that service.
This will ensure that you only need to contact the surgery when these other resources are not appropriate or you have tried them and your problem has not resolved.
We have been running the new system for over a month now and the feedback from patients is extremely positive. We have received many compliments from patients who have been using the system.
One such comment received:
“I just wanted to say a big Thank You for the great service I received yesterday from you, in particular Dr Osborne.
I was called back within thirty minutes of my call, and seen within a couple of hours, and then given an immediate referral to hospital where I received the treatment I needed.
I know you have had problems recently, which were reported in the local paper, but the service I received was first class, and couldn’t have been better.
Just so you know I have written to the Melksham News saying what great service I had from you as people are quick to complain, but not so quick to praise, and I hope they print it.
Thanks again”
We have been informed that some patients felt from our previous notification that the surgery was closing, but this is a rumour that has not come from the surgery, we are not closing our doors.
It was also reported that the problems we have had, were due to the increase in housing in Melksham, this is also not the case, it is due to do with sickness in the surgery and the national problem of GP recruitment.
The new system is working so well we will be continuing with it for the foreseeable future.
We hope that this new system will be beneficial to all our patients. Regards
Mandy Gurr- Practice Manager
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