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During May 18 we will be introducing an SMS reminder system to the surgery. It’s called MJOG and it interfaces with our clinical system to ensure a full audit trail between SMS messages and our patient records.
Initially we will be using the system to send appointment confirmations and reminders which we hope our patients will find useful.
Once we have introduced the system and integrated it into our existing processes we will look to start using SMS for other notifications and health related communications.
Before we commence using the system for appointment reminders we will send a text message to every patient for whom we have a mobile phone number. This text will be to inform them that we will soon be starting to send them SMS messages appropriate to their care. It will give them the opportunity to opt out of all future messages simply by replying to the text. Patients who opt out in this way will be able to opt-in again at any point.
Children and Young Adults
Parents of children under 11 will be able to add their mobile phone number against their child’s record in order to receive reminders and notifications but this will be removed when the child reaches the age of 11. For reasons of confidentiality we are unable to allow a parent to record their mobile phone number against a child aged between 11-16.
What do I need to do know.
We won’t be able to send you SMS reminders if we don’t have your current mobile number. You can add/update this via the Patient Access app or by calling into the surgery.
If you don’t want to receive SMS notifications then you can wait until we send out the introductory SMS message in August and reply to that. Alternatively you can call the surgery and let us know and we will update your record accordingly.
- Appointments
Our current appointment system has been developed to reflect our patient’s needs. As a result of this we now have early, late, advance book and book on the day appointments.
Our current system is as follows:-
1. Advance booking of appointments
You are able to book appointments up to 4 weeks in advance to see a Doctor or a Nurse. These appointments can be booked by attending in person, online or by telephone.
If you feel that you may need more than the usual time for a appointment (each appointment is 10 minutes long) then please mention this to the receptionist when booking and we will do our best to accommodate you. Surgery time is limited as the doctors have to do home visits, prescriptions, referrals and reports after surgery has finished.
2. Advance booking by internet
These can be booked by logging onto our online system via our website. You will need to register to access this service. Please ask reception staff for more details. You can register online via the following link:https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk
3. Book on the day appointments
There are doctor’s appointments made available each day which are only available to book on the day. These appointments will be released at 8am each morning for the morning and afternoon.
These can only be booked by telephone.
4. Emergency appointments
We endeavour to see all the patients presenting with an urgent medical problem. However, please call the surgery if you feel you need to be seen urgently and a Doctor will assess your case in order to provide the most appropriate cause of action. This may include requesting that you visit the surgery, providing you with a prescription or suggesting a more appropriate pathway of care (i.e. A&E)
Practice Nurses
In a number of cases, it might be worth considering an appointment with a practice nurse rather than a doctor. Practice nurses are qualified to deal with many ailments and you may be seen more quickly.
It is advisable that a responsible adult should accompany children under the age of 16.
Please bear in mind that an appointment is for one person only – if, for example, you need to be seen as well as your child then you will need two separate appointments.
Cancellations
If you cannot attend an appointment for any reason then we please ask that you inform us as soon as possible in order for us to provide your appointment slot to another patient.
You can book a face to face appointment in advance with a doctor or nurse by telephone or by calling into the surgery. We always try to offer you an appointment on the day you want it but this may not always be possible. You can also book an appointment on internet. Remember you need to have registered to use this service – please ask at Reception
If your problem is urgent, you will be seen on the same day, usually by the doctor on-duty at the end of his/her surgery.
Patients who wish to be seen on the same day may be triaged by a Doctor. This means that the receptionist will take your details and a Doctor will telephone you back. During this telephone call, the Doctor will assess your needs and, if required, agree a mutually convenient time for you to attend at the surgery
PLEASE REMEMBER that our doctors are very busy and only have a 10 minute slot per problem per appointment. Please book a double appointment if you wish to discuss an additional problem.
Telephone Advice
Only very urgent calls will be put through to the doctor during surgery hours. If possible, please tell the receptionist what the call is about so we can assess how urgent the situation is.
Preference of Practitioner
All patients are now registered with the practice and not with a specific doctor but patients may express a preference to see a particular doctor when making appointments. In the event that your preferred doctor is unavailable, the practice will offer you another doctor. If you insist upon waiting to see a specific doctor, then this will depend upon that doctor’s availability and may result in you having to wait longer than the 48 hours anticipated in the NHS Plan.
If you are late
Appointments will be held for you for up to 10 mins after the time given to you. If you arrive more than 10 mins late, you will be asked to make another appointment. Please do not be offended by this; the reason that we do this is so that other patients are not kept waiting if you are late.
If you need to cancel an appointment, please inform us as soon as you know that you will not be keeping it so that your appointment can be given to another patient and will not be wasted. We have many wasted appointments each day because patients do not turn up and they do not let us know in advance so that the appointment can be given to another patient.
MJOG
During May 18 we will be introducing an SMS reminder system to the surgery. It’s called MJOG and it interfaces with our clinical system to ensure a full audit trail between SMS messages and our patient records.
Initially we will be using the system to send appointment confirmations and reminders which we hope our patients will find useful.
Once we have introduced the system and integrated it into our existing processes we will look to start using SMS for other notifications and health related communications.
Before we commence using the system for appointment reminders we will send a text message to every patient for whom we have a mobile phone number. This text will be to inform them that we will soon be starting to send them SMS messages appropriate to their care. It will give them the opportunity to opt out of all future messages simply by replying to the text. Patients who opt out in this way will be able to opt-in again at any point.
Children and Young Adults
Parents of children under 11 will be able to add their mobile phone number against their child’s record in order to receive reminders and notifications but this will be removed when the child reaches the age of 11. For reasons of confidentiality we are unable to allow a parent to record their mobile phone number against a child aged between 11-16.
What do I need to do know.
We won’t be able to send you SMS reminders if we don’t have your current mobile number. You can add/update this via the Patient Access app or by calling into the surgery.
If you don’t want to receive SMS notifications then you can wait until we send out the introductory SMS message in August and reply to that. Alternatively you can call the surgery and let us know and we will update your record accordingly.
