Protocol for the Management of Routine and Urgent

ASHFIELD SURGERY

PROTOCOL FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF ROUTINE AND URGENT PATIENT APPOINTMENTS

1. Reception Managers add GP appointment sessions for one month in advance at any point in time to ensure pre-bookable availability. All routine appointments are 10 minute slots.

2. Appointment slots are allocated as follows: 25% - Pre-bookable one month in advance 12.5% - Pre-bookable – released 2 weeks in advance 12.5% - Pre-bookable – released one week in advance 25% - Pre-bookable – released 2 days ahead 25% - Phased release – at 8.30 am-appointments for same day afternoon/evening are released. At 2.00 pm appointments for the following morning are released.

3. All released pre-bookable slots are available to patients by telephone, internet booking, or who present at Reception. Appointment times are spread across the session to provide a choice of time for the patients.

4. High Demand on Pre-bookable slots: If all pre-bookable slots have been taken due to high demand and a GP requires one to follow-up a patient the following applies:

a. GP offers patient follow-up appointment during the consultation and releases an ‘Embargoed’ slot. b. GP completes Pre-Bookable Appointment Authorisation Slip and a Reception Manager releases an ‘Embargoed’ slot. c. Patient ringing in for test results and GP has marked record ‘Appointment Required’ – one of the Reception Managers releases an ‘Embargoed’ slot.

5. Routine Appointments: Embargoed slots are set-up within the clinical system and automatically release at the date and time set, (see phased release Item 2 above and example attached) and are available to patients who telephone, book via the internet or who present at Reception. Telephone lines open at 8.30 am. Appointment times are spread across the session to provide a choice of time for the patient.

6. ‘Urgent’ Appointments: Patients requiring an urgent appointment during the morning and no routine slots are available, will be added at the end of the routine appointment session. Urgent appointments are shared equally amongst the GPs who are in on that morning. Patients are to be informed on booking that they have an urgent slot which is for their urgent presenting problem only.

Routine matters cannot be dealt with in an urgent slot, and patients will need to book a routine appointment with their usual doctor.

Patients requiring an urgent appointment during the afternoon are given an appointment with the Duty Doctor of the day. The Duty Doctor is on-call from 12 noon – 6.30 pm.