Contact Us via Our Online Triage Form

We are introducing a new way for patients to access our services. Our patients are expected to use a secure and confidential online triage form (named Rapid Health) on our website, to let us know about any symptoms you are having, ask a question or follow up about something. This could be either about your own health or on behalf of someone you care for.

You can complete the form via a link to be provided. You may also be able to use the NHS App to access the form later in the near future. Just answer the questions and follow the online instructions.

If you find it difficult to complete the form, or you do not want to use it, you can call us or visit the surgery.

Benefits of Using an Online Triage Form

An online form is a quick and easy way of letting us know what’s wrong or raising a query or concern. This can help you get the right care when you need it.

They can also be more convenient for some people, for example, if you do not like to use the phone, or you find it difficult to call the surgery because of work or caring commitments.

Watch the video about how to access your GP surgery on YouTube

What Happens Next

We will then send you an automated message straight away by email to confirm that we have received the online form and to tell you how quickly we will respond. We will usually respond within 2 working days.

Please do not use the online form to request help if your medical problem is urgent. Our medical team will use the information you or someone on behalf of you has proided to make sure you get the help that’s right for you.

This could be:

• face to face appointment
• a phone call
• a short text to request for further information

If you start to feel worse and need urgent care

For urgent medical help, go to 111.nhs.uk, or call 111 if you cannot get help online.

For emergencies, go to your nearest A&E or call 999 for an ambulance.

FAQs

What is Rapid Health?

Rapid health is a smart triage tool approved by the NHS which allows you to book appointments quickly and offers more patient choice and availability by offering you the right appointment with the right clinician first time. It has been approved as a medical device by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and meets all of the NHS security and clinical safety standards. Please watch this short video explainer – Rapid Health patient explainer video

How do I book an appointment?

You must be a registered patient with the practice, and have a valid verified e-mail address. The link to access Rapid Health has been posted on our website homepage in place of the previous AccuRx banner. Please do not use any existing AccuRx links that you may have saved into your web browser, as these requests will not reach us.

What if I am unable to use online services, or do not have access to the internet, or an email address, or have a langauge barrier?

We understand that not everyone can use online services, so please do not worry if this is the case. We are not using Online Total Triage at this moment. Our receptionists will still be available on the phone and in person to assist with your medical or admin query. However using Rapid Health will ensure that the right information is captured consistently and a more appropriate outcome is offered. If you don’t use the internet or have language barrier while no one around can help, our receptionists will still be able to support you. We hope that as more people choose to go online because it is quicker than queing on the phone line, we will have more time to spend with patients who need a little more support from us.

Can I use Rapid Health through my NHS App?

Not at the moment. However, this is currently in development so keep an eye out for further updates. Regrettably this is beyond our control but we will update you when this becomes available in the future.

What do I do if I want to see a specific GP or other health care professional?

When you are booking an appointment, the clinicians (GP, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Physiotherapist) with available appointments will be shown and you will be able to select your preferred clinician if they are available.

What do I do if I want to pre-book an appointment?

After completing the Rapid Health questions an appointment will be offered within an appropriate timeframe. Currently Rapid Health will be able to offer you a choice of appointments up to 28 days in advance, if it is clinically appropriate for that time frame.

Will all Clinicians be on Rapid Health?

Depending on your presenting complaint you may be offered an appointment with one of our GPs, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, or Physiotherapist. The system is designed to ensure that you are booked in with the most appropriate health care professional, in the most appropriate time frame.

Are all appointment types available to book via Rapid Health?

No, some appointments have unique arrangements, so we will not be using Rapid Health for these appointments e.g. nursing/HCA, long term condition reviews, medication reviews with the pharmacists, BSL / language interpreter requirements, non-NHS private work, post-natal and baby checks, appointment with mental health practitioners, or social prescribers. These appointments will be booked in the usual way by phoning the surgery, or in many cases they will already be booked in advance for you by our admin team.

You will see a list of these unique appointments when you click on the Rapid Health link on the website – if any of these appointments apply to you, please do not use Rapid Health but phone the surgery or attend in person instead.

I require an interpreter for my appointments, what should I do?

If you need any additional support for your appointment, such as an interpreter, please do not use Rapid Health. Contact us directly by phone or in person, and we will make the necessary arrangements and appointment for you. Please also contact our surgery to book appointments if you want to be seen in a clinical room downstairs.

Why have I been offered an appointment with this Clinician?

Patients will be offered an appointment with the most appropriate clinician based on their clinical need and clinical urgency.

I was not offered an appointment, what do I do?

In most cases an appointment will be offered with the most appropriate health care professional in the most appropriate time frame. If you have not received an appointment the system will inform our triage team, and your issue may be triaged by one of our doctors. This could be for a number of reasons e.g. no suitable appointments are showing as available within the system, or your query is best dealt with by another person or service. We aim to contact you within 48 hours (in most cases sooner) to arrange an appropriate outcome to your query. In all cases, if your symptoms or medical condition worsens whilst you are waiting to hear from us, you should contact us directly or in urgent emergencies contact 999 or NHS111.

My problem is personal, and I only want to tell a GP.

In order to enable us to ensure that you receive the most appropriate help for your problem in a timely manner, it is important that we have sufficient information to triage this. Not all problems are best dealt with by a GP, and this also ensures that appointments are offered appropriately and fairly to all our patients. All information you provide to us is treated confidentially and saved to your medical records.  If you require our assistance when booking an appointment but want the reason to remain confidential, we will have tablets available at reception to use where a care navigator can assist you when needed.  Every employee at the practice has undergone information governance training and adheres to our confidentially policy.

Is there anything I need to do?

Please make sure that we have your up-to-date email address as this is required to use the new system. You can do this by updating your contact details via the NHS app, or directly via the practice website by updating your contact details, or fill the online form by selecting ‘Update personal details’. You can also simply ask any member of our care navigator team to check and update your records.

And finally, why are we making this change?

We realise that access to appointments and call waiting times are increasingly challenging for many reasons – increasing patient demand, challenges with staff recruitment, increasing medical complexity of an ageing population and many other reasons.

Rapid Health is one part of the solution to help speed up access to appropriate appointments and free up the team to focus on delivering care. We also hope that it improves your continuity of care as you are able to select the clinician that has been dealing with your medical problem when booking your appointment. You may also find the information here helpful on how to fill in GP’s online form.

We would like to thank all our patients in advance for bearing with us as we transition to the new system. All our team have been working very hard to setup this new system, but as with all new systems there will no doubt be some teething problems that we hope to be able to keep to a minimum.

Thank you for your patience and support and we hope you will enjoy the benefits of the new system. We will be asking for your feedback over time, to help us evaluate the new system and to help us make any further necessary improvements to your patient journey.