Changes to how you Access our Services

Dear Patient,

Over the last few months, we have been updating and improving ways to access the services at our GP Surgery. We have tried to prioritise ease of access as well as expand our capacity to service the community. We thought the best way to explain these changes would be to write to you explaining how best to access these services.

For same day appointments at 8.00am you can still call us directly or come in person as we reserve half of our appointments as on the day appointments. For the same day appointments our telephone lines and doors open at 8am.  We also now have an automatic telephone call-back feature when our phone lines are busy. 

An alternative way is to submit a request via the website www.elmsteadmedicalclinic.com via the online consultation link on our homepage: ‘Contact us: Medical Consultations, admin requests and sick notes’. This ensures that you only have to contact us once with a problem. All online submissions are reviewed daily by 1pm. Submissions after this time will be reviewed the following working day. You can still contact us via our telephone system or in person at reception.

How we triage

We have recently introduced an improved online consultation tool that is available on our website. This is to improve accessibility to primary care services. It involves triage by our clinical team who may ask for further information about your symptoms which they will record in your medical record. This information is important as it allows your clinical needs to be assessed along with other factors to ensure you are referred to the most appropriate person for your care. If you do need an appointment, this will be offered within a specific time set by the practice.

This approach is known as triage and is recommended by NHS England to improve accessibility to primary care services. The extremely high demand on General Practice and a rapidly expanding team of health care professionals makes triage a much safer way of getting you to the right person at the right time.

To book an Appointments

If you are requesting a routine appointment, you can either call reception or use the new AccuRx online triage system, this allows your request to be triaged by our clinical team. Once we have dealt with your request, you will receive a text or telephone message advising the next step.

If you choose to contact the practice by telephone, you can now request a callback. This will save your place in the queue and you will be called back once you are at the front of the queue. If you miss the call, your call will be prioritised for a further call back. If you require a same day appointment, you will be offered an appointment with our team, which consists of Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Physician Associates, Pharmacists, GP Assistants or a Doctor.

Admin Request

If your request does not require an appointment, such as test results, prescription requests or other administrative matters, the quickest way to submit your request is through our AccuRx online administration link. If you wish to speak to our reception about administrative matters , please call after 12.00pm.

NHS App

From April 1st, you will no longer be able to use the MyGP app or your Patient Access account. These have been replaced by the NHS app. As a patient of our practice, you will be able to use the NHS app to access a range of services, such as; ordering prescriptions, viewing your health records and you will also be able to receive messages from the surgery, but only if you have enabled your notifications.

Website

Our website has recently been updated and made more patient-friendly. You can now access all of our services including our AccuRx online triage services, prescriptions and all surgery information.

Check in Machine

We have installed check-in machines at our sites. You can now check in for your appointment at the practice without having to queue at reception.

To check in, you will be asked your date of birth and surname. We thank you for your continued support in the services we provide to you as patients.

We would be grateful if you would bear with us as we implement these changes. We welcome your feedback via our website and will be reviewing this new process to ensure continual adjustment within the system based on suggestions and improvement needs. Please ask our team if you have any questions and check out the FAQ to help you with some of your immediate questions.

On behalf of the Partners at Elmstead Medical Clinic

FAQ

How do I submit repeat prescription requests?

You can request a prescription, either via your NHS app, AccuRx Triage via our website, via your nominated pharmacy or written request into the surgery. Please give us 72 hours for your prescription request to be processed back to your pharmacy. This will be electronically completed unless requested otherwise. Please allow more time over bank holidays when the surgery is closed. We do not take any prescription requests over the telephone.

How do I request a copy my test results?

We will contact you, if after we receive your blood results, you need a follow up appointment with a clinician or if you need to repeat your bloods. You may receive a text massage about your results. You can now view your blood results via the NHS app, once they have been read and filed by a GP. If you need to request a copy, you can do so via AccuRx on our website, we do not take requests over the telephone.

How do I request a Medical Certificate?

For a first time medical sick certificate you may need to speak to a clinician via an appointment. Repeat / on-going medical certificates can be issued by a clinician if requested via AccuRx on our website. We are not able to pre-date medical certificates. If you require a follow-up certificate following a hospital admission, we can only issue this if we have a copy of your discharge or hospital letter.

How do I make routine Nurse or Healthcare Assistant appointments?

All nurse’s and HCA appointments can be booked through AccuRx on our website by sending a request or by telephone. For some clinics we may send you a link via text message which you can use to self-book an appointment.

Introducing ‘Pharmacy First’

The new Pharmacy First service enables participating community pharmacists to support patients without the need to visit your GP practice. Patients suffering with any of these conditions can be directly treated without GP Surgery involvement with an appropriate antibiotic/ antiviral medicine:-

sinusitis

sore throat

earache

infected insect bites

impetigo

shingles

uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women

Should you be suffering with any of these conditions, you can visit any participating local pharmacy.