Triage

Have you heard about our triage service?

We are fortunate enough to have a team of Advanced Practitioners who offer a daily telephone triage service for patients.

Advanced Practitioners can:

1. Diagnose and treat acute infections, injuries and illnesses
2. Prescribe medication
3. Conduct and order diagnostic tests, such as ECGs, X-Rays and Ultrasound
4. Can refer patients to hospital if they need to see a specialist
5. Talk to patients about effectively management their health, as well as assisting in designing appropriate treatment plans and recommending further care.
6. Provide care and guidance to patients when it comes to taking medication, as well as what side effects they may have, and any interactions that may take place with medication the patient is already taking.

Patients who ring 01772 214800 to request a same-day appointment will now be asked for a contact number so that an Advanced Practitioner can call them back, along with a brief idea what the problem is. Our Advanced Practitioners are skilled in telephone triage, so can effectively assess your needs over the phone, and in many cases, prevent you having to travel to the surgery.  This can be done either through advice or by issuing a prescription for the patient, which can be sent directly to a pharmacy of your choice.

Alternatively, the Advanced Practitioner may advise you to attend an appointment, and an appointment time will be given. This is normally the same day, but could be for a different day if they feel that you need to see a particular clinician and the problem you have can wait for further assessment.

Same day appointments are classed as “urgent” and we will not always be able to give you a choice of time or clinicians; this is because priority is being given to getting you treated as soon as possible by any appropriate clinician.