Ashfield Surgery, Walmley - News from the Patient Participation Group

07/03/2025

Update from the surgery 07/03/25 regarding the new triage system

The surgery are in the process of making some adjustments to the spread of appointments based on the data they are receiving, hopefully increasing the number of next day/5-day appointments and reducing the number of same day appointments as these are not always being fully utilised at the moment.

Just to reiterate, patients are still able to call up or visit the practice if they are unable to use the new online form. The team will help them complete the form if they are physically unable to do so themselves. Nurse appointments are not booked via the online form and are booked in the normal way. Enquiries about medication and repeat prescriptions do not need to go down the medical appointment route, and should instead be submitted as an admin request.

If someone calls up, call handlers will go through the process with them over the phone. The call handers will need to ask some sensitive questions and the whole process can take time to complete, approximately 20-30 minutes.

If people come into the practice, they will be offered the use of a tablet PC to complete the form themselves. A member of reception can sit with them to help but they may need to wait until a receptionist is available, or the queue at reception has died down. Patients are advised to avoid early morning and lunch time.

If the patient is unable to read/view the screen, it is recommended to call the practice rather than coming in person to the front desk. Due to confidentiality concerns, they are unable to read the questions out loud to patients and may not have a private room available to take them into.

In February the surgery received 2806 Medical Requests and 1182 Admin requests via the new Rapid Health system.

· 48% of the Medical Requests were automated (resulting in an immediate appointment being offered) while the remainder were passed onto the Duty Doctor for review.

· Of the Medical Requests received:

o 20% were considered medically urgent and required same day appointments
o 33% required next day appointments
o 14% required an appointment within the next 5 days.
o 33% were considered routine / non-urgent and required an appointment within 2-4 weeks.

· The three most common medical conditions reported, not including ‘general health’ were:
o Musculoskeletal health (bad back, shoulder pain, etc)
o Mental Health
o Abdominal Problems

03/02/2025

Update from the Surgery - 03.02.25
Ashfield Surgery Planned IT Outage - Tuesday 4th February - 2-4pm

Birmingham and Solihull ICB will be implementing an essential upgrade to our Practice firewall on Tuesday 4th February.

Between the time of 2pm and 4pm access to our IT system will be limited. Access to Patient records and other systems may not be possible during this time.

The practice has adjusted its clinics for this day in anticipation and will not be seeing patients between these hours. Clinics in the morning will run as normal and run on until early afternoon, while afternoon clinics will start from 4pm. If you have an appointment tomorrow, please attend as normal.

Our telephone system may be affected and as our clinicians will not be able to access any incoming messages the Online Triage system will temporarily be suspended between these hours.

For non-urgent medical enquires please contact us between 8:30am and 1:30pm or 4:00pm to 6:30pm. Where possible please use the online form via the Ashfield website.

For more urgent medical enquires that cannot wait, please contact NHS 111 or in an emergency dial 999.

Thank you

21/01/2025

Update from the surgery 21/01/25

1 week to go!

The move to our new online booking system is happening next week.

Are you ready? We are!

The new system will be live from 7am on Tuesday 28th January. The easiest way to request an appointment will be via the online form which can be found on our website https://www.ashfieldsurgery.co.uk/

þ Easy to use

þ Appointment with the most appropriate clinician available

þ No early morning telephone rush

þ No need to queue

þ No need to keep calling up each day – get a response first time

þ Improved accessibility. Submit requests from 7am each day with instant response in many cases.

If you still want to book an appointment over the phone, you can do so. All appointment requests now go through a triage process, which are then reviewed by our clinical team, and an appropriate appointment offered. Our call handlers will need to ask you several questions about your condition in order to ensure you receive appropriate treatment.

While extra staff will be employed, we are expecting a longer than usual wait time on our phones initially, while patients migrate to the new booking system. Where possible we encourage patients to submit enquiries online, or wait until later in the day to call the practice to book routine appointments.

To use the online service. You will need to have a valid email address on your account. You can update your email via Patient Access or the NHS App. Alternatively speak to a receptionist for help updating your contact details.

Housebound patients and patients requiring a home visit should call the appointments line and speak to a member of our team as normal.

Watch this short video on how to submit your requests online.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/948772217?h=f3e9d87d1b&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479%22

16/01/2025

Update from the surgery - 16/01/25
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Launches Tuesday 28th January 2025
2 weeks to go!

It’s almost time for our move to a new way to book your appointments.

þ Avoid the early morning telephone rush.

þ No need to queue outside the practice in the morning.

þ Appointments available same day, next day, same week and up to 4 weeks in advance

þ Get a response first time, with no need for repeat calls.

Submit your requests online from 7am each morning.

The new triage system is only for new (acute) conditions requiring investigation. The sort of appointments you would have traditionally called the practice first thing in the morning to book.

Routine annual reviews for patients with long-term conditions are managed in the usual manner. All appointments with the nurses are booked the same as always. This includes cervical screening, wound care and injections. Just call the practice and speak to a member of our team to arrange these appointments as normal.

As well as appointment requests, you can submit enquires to the practice via the online form. These will be looked at and responded to within 2-working days. This might be for questions around test results, referral letters or requesting sick notes.

Watch this short video on how to submit your requests online.

Rapid Health - Patient Explainer on Vimeo (https://player.vimeo.com/video/948772217?h=f3e9d87d1b&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479%22)

08/01/2025

Update from the surgery 8th January 2025

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3 weeks to go!

It’s almost time for the new way to book appointments with us.

Appointment requests can be submitted from 7am each morning via the online form. Most requests will be processed within minutes and an appointment offered for the same day or up to 5 days in advance depending on urgency. Non-urgent health matters can be booked up to 4 weeks in advance.

More complex requests will be triaged by our duty doctor during working hours and you will receive a response from the practice the same day or the next day depending on urgency and the time you submit your request.

Once we have reached capacity for the day, the duty doctor will review all further enquires and provide appropriate signposting advice to patients.

You can use the ‘Questions and admin’ option to submit requests for a variety of matters that don’t require an appointment, including:

· Doctor’s letter or report

· Referrals

· Sick/fit notes extension

· Test results

· Repeat prescription requests

More information is available on our website www.ashfieldsurgery.co.uk

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The surgery have also said that they will also be shortly sending out a letter to all patients explaining the imminent change to our booking system.

03/01/2025

Update from the Surgery - 3rd January 2025

4 weeks to go!

Improved access to appointments is on its way.

Submit requests for appointments, prescriptions, sick notes via our online form.

þ Avoid the early morning telephone rush.

þ No need to queue in the morning.

þ Access to treatment first time, with no need for repeat calls.

Watch this short video on how to submit your requests online.

Rapid Health - https://player.vimeo.com/video/948772217?h=f3e9d87d1b&badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479%22

From Tuesday 28th January 2025, use the online form, and avoid the early morning rush on the phones.

You can still request an appointment via telephone or face to face at reception, but these will still need to be triaged in the same way as the online requests. Our receptionist can complete the form for you if you do not have access to a computer or smartphone.

23/12/2024

News from the surgery - 23/12/24

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From 28th January 2025 Ashfield Surgery will be changing the way you book appointments with us.

Our new system is easy to use and will ensure you get an appointment with the most appropriate service first time, without the need to call back again and again.

No need to queue up or join the early morning telephone rush. You can submit your requests from 7am each day and in many cases receive an immediate response, with an option to book an appointment same day, next day or up to 5 days in advance.

How it works - Patients call, walk in, or ideally use our online request form and answer some simple questions about your needs. The system will then assess your responses and provide you with appropriate local services, self care, or a clinical appointment where needed.

þ Easy to use

þ Appointment with the most appropriate clinician available

þ No early morning telephone rush

þ No need to queue

þ No need to keep calling up each day – get a response first time

þ Improved accessibility. Submit requests from 7am each day with instant response in many cases.

So why are we doing this? We understand patient frustration around the early morning rush on the phones and want to move away from the need to call or queue up each morning to get an appointment.

Many requests we received can be managed without the need to see a GP. Ensuring patients get seen by the right person first time means more appointments are available for everyone.

More information on how this works is available on our website https://www.ashfieldsurgery.co.uk/2024/12/23/new-online-appointment-system-coming-soon/ including a list of frequently asked questions. Questions about our new service can be left on the website for our team to read and get back to you.

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Get Started Quote / Testimonial: Hello and welcome to our website! We’ve packed it full of useful information in a very easy to use format with the added benefit of several online functions.

16/09/2024

Update - 16/09/24

The surgery are now taking bookings for flu vaccinations for the 18-64 years at risk group. SMS invites with booking links have been sent out.

If patients do not receive an invite and are in an at risk group, between 18 - 64 years, they can pop in or call the appointments' line after 14:00 (lines less busy) to book their appointment.

05/09/2024

Update from the Surgery - 05/09/24

Flu Clinics for people 65 and over: 5th & 12th October 08:30-12:00

Patients can book via the Appointments Line from 14:00 OR at the Reception desk.

Text invites with booking links, are scheduled to be sent out on tomorrow (06/09)

With respect to Covid vaccinations, these will be offered on the day if stocks are available and patient is eligible.

19/07/2024

Message from the Surgery 19th July 2024 (apologies for delay in posting this).

Ashfield Surgery – Urgent Notification. Please be aware that there is a National IT issue affecting the clinical system. We are therefore unable to access your medical records at this time. It may also take us longer to deal with all enquiries at this time.

05/06/2024

Update from the Surgery - 5th June 2024

The practice is aware of a recent article published in various local news outlets based on waiting times for appointments, rating Ashfield Surgery 6th worst in the Midlands.

The article itself failed to provide a source for this data so it is hard for the practice to verify the accuracy of the report. The practice feels that the data used is misleading and likely includes appointments the practice arranged for patients as part of annual reviews and scheduled follow up appointments, these are often booked more than 3 weeks in advance and would skew any data on waiting times for appointments.

That is not to say that patients have not experienced a longer wait for an appointment on occasion. Like all practices, we experience periods of high demand for appointments. Surges in demand following bank holidays, and staff illness/absences can have an impact on day to day access. Due to longer waiting times in hospitals, we are also seeing patients return more often to general practice as a knock-on effect, this puts more demand on the remaining appointments we have each day. We are continually striving to improve access and ensure our patients are seen as quickly as possible.

Our own data collected about appointment usage shows that the majority of our GP appointments are booked the same day or same week. In May 2024 40% of all GP appointments were booked on the same day. 19% of appointments were booked the next day or later that week and 13% of appointments were booked the following week. The remaining 28% of appointments were booked more than two weeks in advance. This includes any follow up appointments booked by GPs following an appointment and annual reviews such as diabetics.

The number of appointments the practice offers has steadily been increasing year on year. Between 2017 and 2019 the practice offered on average 45,000 GP appointments each year. Post-Covid from 2021 onwards, the practice has on average had 47,000 GP appointments each year and we are on course to offer even more appointments this year. This does not include the additional non-GP appointments offered by our nurse team and the appointments available following the introduction of practice physios, pharmacists and social prescribers. Our practice list size has also remained stable during this time around the 15,500 mark.

While we understand some amongst you will have experienced frustration in trying to secure same day appointments when you have needed it. Many others will also have positive experiences of being seen promptly when you have called up. We are grateful to all our patients who take the time to send us their thanks following a positive experience at the surgery. Constructive feedback about what is not working is also welcome and frequently discussed in our practice management meetings.

As a reminder for our patients, our Out of Hours service is available between the hours of 6:30pm and 8:30am weekdays and all day on the weekend and bank holidays. Your local pharmacy can see patients for a variety of minor illnesses and patients can also register for the LIVI app and book free video GP consultations.

During the hours of 08:30 and 18:30 each weekday, we have a variety of staff on hand, including GPs, Nurses, phlebotomists, physios, pharmacists, social prescribers and midwives. Many enquiries don’t necessarily require an appointment and can be dealt with either over the phone or via our website, including requests for Fit Notes, repeat medication and updates on referrals. For patients who might struggle to come in during our normal open hours, they can access our Extended Access Hub over at Ashfurlong Medical Centre on the weekend and we offer telephone consultations with GPs most evenings.

If you have not done so already, patients with a smartphone can download the NHS App to book, check and cancel appointments, order prescriptions, view your health records and contact the practice.

We want to thank all our patients for the feedback they provide and reassure you that the team here are working tirelessly to provide a caring, safe and responsive service to our local community.

16/05/2024

The surgery are in the middle of their spring Covid vaccine roll out, There are quite a few patients where only a landline is held. If you are eligible and would like a Covid vaccine, please contact the surgery.