We have introduced a pilot scheme at Thurmaston Health Centre to reduce the length of time you might spend accessing appointments with us on the phone
You’ve told us that it’s not always easy getting through to our receptionists by phone, especially first thing in the morning, so we have introduced a Telephone Triage Service that enters you onto our system automatically.
Launching for one month from 14 April, the system will ask you a series of questions to understand the reason for your call, your symptoms, any ongoing health conditions, and your current circumstances. This information is shared with our clinicians, who will review it and contact you within 24 hours, often sooner, depending on your clinical need. This approach helps ensure you receive the right support, without needing to stay on the phone for longer than a few minutes.
This service is in addition to walk-in access, the online Anima system and our reception team. If you would prefer to wait on the line to speak directly to a receptionist, just say “I would like to speak to a receptionist” at any point to join the queue.
Dr Dias, Clinical GP lead said: “We know it can be frustrating having to wait in a queue, particularly if you have the school run or need to get to work, this way you can let us know why you need us and we can get back to you.
“You can opt out at any point and wait to speak to a receptionist but, by having this as an option to access support from a clinician, we can find out what you need and when we can support you more quickly.
“We want to make sure that you can access our services quickly, without it impacting your day to day life. By complementing the other methods of accessing care, we hope it reduces the waiting time for you when trying to make an appointment.”
The automated process asks exactly the same questions as our receptionist team and should only take a few minutes. Your answers will then be logged into the system and prioritised according to clinical need, with all calls responded to within 24 hours.
Anyone using the automated system will be asked for feedback allowing us to assess how it is benefitting you and our reception team. We will keep you updated following the end of the pilot.
