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First Call' Appointment System - FAQ

The document provides frequently asked questions (FAQ) about a new "First Call" appointment system at a medical practice. The key points are: 1) The new system allows patients to have telephone consultations with their preferred doctor or a duty doctor on the day of their choice for both urgent and non-urgent issues. 2) Telephone consultations can effectively manage many health problems without requiring an in-person visit. 3) If an examination or further follow-up is needed, an in-person appointment will be scheduled after the initial telephone consultation.

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A M P Kumar
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72 views2 pages

First Call' Appointment System - FAQ

The document provides frequently asked questions (FAQ) about a new "First Call" appointment system at a medical practice. The key points are: 1) The new system allows patients to have telephone consultations with their preferred doctor or a duty doctor on the day of their choice for both urgent and non-urgent issues. 2) Telephone consultations can effectively manage many health problems without requiring an in-person visit. 3) If an examination or further follow-up is needed, an in-person appointment will be scheduled after the initial telephone consultation.

Uploaded by

A M P Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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‘First Call’ Appointment System – FAQ

How will this benefit you, the patient?


 Patients will have contact with their named doctor on the day of their choice
 Patients will have contact with a duty doctor, if their doctor is not available, on the day of their
choice if it is urgent
 DNA’s (Did Not Attends) will virtually disappear
 Doctors are triaging their own patients
 Surgery staff will be available to support your journey through the system at the practice

Why is the surgery offering telephone appointments for all appointments not just urgent
appointments?
By offering telephone appointments and giving health advice this way, we can make sure you are
able to speak to, or see, your preferred doctor (or a duty doctor if your health problem is urgent and
your doctor is not available that day) or our very experienced Nurse Practitioner, on the day you
choose to call to have your health concern dealt with. A patient may not need to visit the surgery as
advice on your health condition can be dealt with on the telephone by either the doctor or Nurse
Practitioner. We have telephone triaged all our same day/urgent appointment requests for many
years and found that many problems can be effectively managed over the phone which is usually
more convenient for patients as well as more efficient for the practice. Only your doctor can now
make an appointment for you to come in and see him/her and this may be the advice you need after
a telephone consultation has taken place.

Why can’t I book an appointment in advance with my doctor?


The new system does not require you to do this. If you need a face to face consultation with the
doctor or with our Nurse Practitioners, this will be booked after their telephone consultation with
you, this can be arranged for later that day. If you need a follow-up appointment, the doctor will
usually book this appointment themselves.

How do I access my doctor of choice?


Please let the receptionist know if you wish to access a preferred doctor and if possible you will be
added to that doctor’s telephone appointment list. If you would prefer to wait until your preferred
doctor is available, rather than speak to another doctor that day, just let the receptionist know and
they will make you aware when your preferred doctor is available. For on-going symptoms that do
not require urgent follow up, we would advise that you wait and speak to the doctor you previously
consulted, where possible.

What if I do not wish to share brief details about the reason for my call with the receptionist?
Any information provided to our reception team is confidential, but we understand that some
patients may not wish to share even the briefest details. This will not prevent you from accessing
your doctor. Just tell the receptionist that you do not wish to give this information and your name
will be added to the doctor’s call-back list. The only reason we ask for brief details is to assist the
patient in being routed to the most appropriate clinician (this may be a Nurse Practitioner,
Pharmacist or other health professionals), as well as allowing the doctor to prioritise calls for that
day.

Are telephone appointments safe?


During your call with the doctor, he or she will ask questions to help them make a decision about
whether you need to be seen in person or not. For example, if your doctor needs to look at
something or examine you, you will be asked to come into the surgery for the appointment.

What happens if I miss my call back?


You will be given an approximate time for the call-back. If you miss this call, the doctor will try a
second time. After this, any non-urgent requests will have to be booked back through the reception
team

What if the doctor doesn’t offer me a face to face consultation but I am dissatisfied with this
outcome?
If you are not happy with the type of appointment that is offered please let your doctor know during
your consultation.

What if I am unable to attend a face to face consultation during normal opening hours?
We offer some early appointments on a Tuesday morning from 7.30am for patients who are unable
to attend at any other times. We offer routine appointments up to 6pm each week day and the duty
doctor will see patients for urgent problems up to 6.30pm each week day. We are also open
alternate Saturday mornings for both routine and urgent appointments.

Will I be seen quicker if I come into the surgery?


Unless your symptom is an emergency, you won’t be seen more quickly if you come into the surgery
to make an appointment. The receptionist will ask for your name and contact details, a brief
description of the problem and you will be added to the doctor’s telephone appointment list.

What do I do if I need an emergency appointment?


If it is a medical emergency you should call 999. If it is for a problem which is urgent and needs to be
dealt with today please telephone your GP Surgery and tell the receptionist that your health
problem is urgent. You will be booked in for a telephone appointment either with your preferred
doctor if they are available on that day, or the duty doctor, if the doctor wishes to see you they will
ask you to come to the GP Surgery.

What should I do if I have concerns about a skin lesion / mole / lumps?


We recognise that in a majority of cases the patient will need to be seen, so it is likely that your
telephone consultation with a clinician will be brief and a time/date agreed with the doctor for a
face to face consultation.

What if I am unable to take private calls at work?


If it is difficult to take a private call at work, you should explain to the receptionist and ask her to
note a specific time for your call back. The only exception to the doctor not being able to call you at
the agreed time would be if there was an emergency which they had to deal with.

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