Triage system
There are 2 ways to access the triage system:
· Click on this link: https://systmonline.tpp-uk.com/2/OnlineConsultation?OrgId=J83007
· Call the surgery to fill out the form with the help of a call-handler if you are unable to use the link above.
The aim of a total triage system is to ensure our patients have access to the most appropriate service or team and that we communicate with you in a timely manner. It allows you to request appointments, communicate with your GP team, request letters, fit notes and book appointments.
The system is open during normal working hours for safety to ensure urgent medical issues are not left waiting and that patients connect with the right service at the right time. During other times such as weekends, bank holidays and overnight, please use the 111 service.
You should call 999 anytime for life-threatening emergencies ANY TIME.
Once we have reached our safe limit for patient requests for the day, the system will temporarily close, please try again the morning of the next working day. This is necessary to ensure our staff can provide safe and effective care for you and all our other registered patients.
If you feel your condition is urgent for the same day, please dial 111 who will triage your request and advise of the most appropriate service for you.
Other ways that triage helps our patients:
· If you have a minor or short-term illness, we can support you to manage this yourself or with the help of community services like pharmacy teams, or to see one of our minor illness team if necessary.
· This frees up appointments for those with more serious illnesses or who need to see a health professional quickly.
· Ensures patients are in the correct clinics with the correct person/team.
· Improve continuity to the best of our ability with a specific clinician for ongoing complex conditions or follow-up.
· Frees up our call-handlers to reduce long waiting times on the phones.
Tips for making sure your request is managed effectively
1. Please use the correct form for the reason you are contacting us (form contains prompting questions which help our GPs process your request appropriately).
2. Please use the name we have on record for you (helps the system to link your form to the correct medical record) and avoid nicknames.
3. If you have multiple issues that are not linked, please use separate forms and provide as much information as possible on each issue (it can be helpful to note on your forms that you are completing multiple requests).
4. Please provide as much information on your form as possible about why you want to see a health professional and your symptoms including where on your body the problem is, timings of symptoms, if they are getting better or worse, what you have tried already and whether this has helped etc. Call-handlers will also prompt you for this information.
5. Ensure your contact details are correct and you are available to answer a phone-call or receive a text message.
6. If you require extra support, for example needing a translator for a different language, hearing support, support with understanding or remembering information etc, please make this known in your form or to your call-handler. A longer appointment may be necessary to accommodate the support you need.
7. If you are happy to receive messages from the surgery via SMS in future as well, please specify in your form so we can update your record.
Once your form has been successfully sent, you will receive confirmation via text message.
After the form is sent
Your form is reviewed by a GP on the same day who will process it based on the information you have provided.
You may be contacted in the following ways within 48 hours:
· Receive a booking link via SMS to book an appointment with an appropriate health profession. This may not be the person you think you should see, however it is the person the GP feels is most appropriate to address your clinical need.
· Receive an SMS or phone-call from a health professional or one of our call-handlers.
· Receive a referral to another team or service.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE AVAILABLE TO RECEIVE A PHONE-CALL OR SMS ON THE DAY YOU SUBMIT YOUR TRIAGE FORM.
Please call the surgery on 01249 462775 if you feel your issue is urgent for the same day and you have not heard back from anyone at the surgery by 4pm. For non-urgent issues, please call after 48 hours.
Appointments
All our clinics are pre-booked, we do not offer walk-in services.
GP appointments
GP Appointments can only be made through our triage system. To find out more about how this works please see the section ‘Triage System’.
GP appointments are 10 minutes long which is standard throughout the NHS and in most cases is long enough to discuss ONE problem. Having to deal with more than one problem can mean that the GP is not able to give each of your problems the careful attention they require and may not enable them to help you as much as they’d like to, as well as meaning clinics run late. Please be prepared to be asked to make an additional appointment if the GP feels unable to deal with your problem safely or effectively within the allocated time.
Non-GP appointments
Some routine non-GP appointments can be made by calling the surgery, such as:
· Blood tests (if a medical professional has advised you to do so)
· Smears
· Pill checks (usually annual)
· Asthma and COPD reviews (usually annual)
· Hypertension (at least annual)
· Other regular routine chronic condition checks
Other requests
The triage system can also be used for administrative issues like requesting letters or fit notes for work. Please click on the appropriate form.
Many minor or short-term illnesses are best treated using home or over-the-counter remedies and do not require an appointment with the surgery. Please visit your local pharmacy for more information.
Extra help and support for appointments
Please make it known to us if you need support, for example a translation service for another language or hearing loss, other hearing support, support understanding or remembering information etc. Planning for this in advance means things are in place for your arrival so we can improve our services for you. A longer appointment time may be necessary to accommodate the support you need.
Booking links
These allow you to view information about appointments like the name and gender of the GP you wish to see, and book without the need to call the surgery.
You may be able to book an appointment the first time you access the booking link, however there may not be any available at that time.
We stagger the release of appointments throughout the week to provide availability to all patients. This may mean you have to access the link multiple times until an appointment becomes available.
If you have not managed to get an appointment by the time your link expires, after 7 days, please contact us so we can then look at whether we can send you another link or need to expedite the appointment.
General information about appointments
Appointments may be by telephone or face to face:
· Telephone – the clinician will call the number you give at the time of booking. You will be given an approximate timeframe for this call.
· Face to Face – When attending the surgery, please remember, this is a set time so please arrive 5mins before to allow time to book in.
Please help us to help all our patients. Health professionals have to balance caring for you as an individual with all the other patients who need to be seen.
Please be patient if your health professional is running late – it usually means they’ve been working hard dealing with sick patients with urgent problems that cannot wait and require more time to care for.
Home visits
Telephone the surgery before 10:30 if you think you might need a home visit.
You may only request a home visit if you are housebound or are too ill to visit the practice. Your GP will only visit you at home if they think that your medical condition requires it, and will also decide how urgently a visit is needed.
Hathaway Medical Centre: 01249 462775
You can be visited at home by a community nurse if you are referred by your GP or are still open to the team.
Chippenham Community Nursing Team (district nurse team): 01249 456548
You may also be seen at home by a health visitor if you have recently had a baby or if you are newly registered with a GP and have a child under five years old.
Health Visitors: 01249 456459