Update June/July 2024
Wareham Surgery Update June/July
We have been operating our new total triage system since April. Please see the data from June and July below
Red: patient offered same day appointment
Amber: patient offered appointment for next session, i.e., if morning offered afternoon appointment, if afternoon, offered following morning appointment
Yellow: patient offered an appointment within next 7 days
Green: patient offered appointment within 7-14 days
Blue: patient offered an appointment after 14 days
Grey: registered GP reviews patient request
White: problem dealt with without appointment, e.g. prescription issued.
Total number of clinical requests received (online form and phone request)
June: 1327
July: 1480
In June, 55% were resolved either through face to face, telephone consultation or direct reply within 24 hours of making the request. In July this increased to 58%.
25% were seen within 1-14 days of making the request in June; in July 27%.
12% of patients waited over 2 weeks for an appointment in June. In July it was 8%.
Telephones
Uptake of the online eConsult form has increased from 50% to 67% since the launch of our new system. In this time, we have seen an incredible drop in call volume from over 800 per week at the start of April to 545 by the end of May. This has increased in June and July averaging at 613 per week.
This data proves that the changes that we have made to the appointment system at Wareham Surgery have drastically improved waiting times for appointments whilst also freeing up the phone lines for ease of access for those without internet access.
Patient feedback on the eConsult is also generally very positive with some comments including:
- “E consult has been really easy for me and has made contacting the surgery much easier. My last couple of experiences have been really good. Thanks”
- “Excellent service called by Dr within 30 minutes of submitting Econsult and prescription issued immediately”
- “Questions on econsult long and repetitive but once done service was very prompt and satisfactory”
- “I filled in econsult at 8:00 am by 8:45 I had a phone call to say come to surgery at 10:45. Doctor was very helpful. Great experience Thanks”
We recognise that the forms can be repetitive and are on the lookout for a system that is not so long-winded within the constraints of affordability and patient safety.
How to use eConsult
To access the online request form, eConsult, go to the home page of our website www.warehamsurgery.nhs.uk and scroll down to the big lighter-blue rectangle and click on Get Started. If you have an NHS login in, please use this to save you having to enter your own details.
The information you provide online allows us to decide which healthcare professional is best placed to suit your needs (the doctor, nurse or someone else at the practice), and how quickly you need their help. In some ways submitting an online consultation is similar to either phoning your practice or walking-in to speak to a receptionist, except your clinical request is reviewed by a GP.
This is called triage, and triaging patients is very important when you have lots of patients asking for your help, as is the case across all of the NHS. Triage also happens in other healthcare settings, such as in A&E where you are seen based on the urgency of your illness or injury. The same needs to happen here – we need to understand who needs help urgently, and who can wait a little longer.
The great thing about online consultations is that they provide us with very detailed information about what symptoms you have and the effect they are having on you. We can then decide, based on the doctors and nurses available to support you, your symptoms, and the needs of other patients, how best to help all of you.
Online consultations are not a short-cut to an appointment, and often an appointment is not the right outcome for every patient request. The reason for this centres around triage – the practice needs to be able to know what all our patients are asking for so that we can give appointments to those most in need. We also need to decide on the right format and time frame for that appointment, as well as the right healthcare professional to help everyone.
You will receive an acknowledgement of your eConsult submission which will advise you when you can expect a response. If you have not heard by this time, please contact us. You can either raise another eConsult or phone to check.
