GP Access is a new appointment system to make it faster and simpler for patients to see or speak to their doctor when they need them and has helped reduce complaints and pressure on staff. The reception staff at Bourne Galletly Practice were finding that dealing with their existing system was very stressful ‘People were frustrated that they couldn’t see a clinician when they wanted to and by about 10am we were having to turn people away.’
Since taking on the new system over 60 GP practices are seeing very positive results. “The GP Access system is a huge change not just a little tweaking to the traditional system. What it means is that we start each day with a clean slate and telephone consultations. A lot of patients can be dealt with on the phone, more than 50% I would say, and a year on we are receiving less complaints about not being able to book an appointment” says Dr Aminur Rahman, Bosworth Medical Centre
Mark Pittaway, Business Manager for Newtown Medical Centre states “We have had positive feedback and patients like the idea that their GP will call back, often within the hour’. And to make it even easier for patients to understand the new system, GP Access collaborated with the specialist health video provider, Health and Care Videos www.healthandcarevideos.com to produce the video ‘Making it Easier to See Your Doctor’.
The video has had an over 2500 hits, which is proof that patients are not only using the internet to gain more information, but are taking control of their healthcare. A new rebranded version of the video is created for each GP practice that adopts the new approach to their booking appointment system. This makes the use of video quick and very low cost, which is an approach that makes the Health and Care Videos library www.healthandcarevideos.com/library/a-to-z/ of over 200 clinical videos easily usable by all healthcare providers.
GP Access www.gpaccess.uk , with help from Health and Care Videos, are helping GP practices solve the problem of access, continuity and taking the stress out of making an appointment. It’s a faster and simpler system for patients and practice staff. With so many practices embracing their system, it looks like they are already well on their way to achieving this.