What Is Triage?
We believe that increasing use of telephone consultations will reduce the need for face to face consultations and free up appointment slots for those patients who need them.
Patients telephoning to ask for an appointment will be asked to confirm their phone number. They will then be called back by a doctor who will discuss the problem with them. In many cases it is hoped that the matter will be resolved on the phone without the need for the patient to visit the surgery. This will save time for both the patient and the practice.
In those instances where the patient and the doctor agree that an appointment is necessary one will be made, by the doctor, normally for later that day.
All doctors will have spaces reserved in their surgeries for appointments to be made in this way.
In addition to being asked to confirm their phone number, receptionists will ask patients for brief details of the reason for their request. This is to allow the doctor to prioritise the calls so that, for example, someone reporting severe pain or a sick child will be attended to before someone with a query about medication. If you would rather not discuss things with the receptionist then you can decline to give this information, but you should be aware that this will make it more difficult for us to prioritise your call appropriately.