Don’t get caught out by the new booking system
As GP surgeries across England introduce compulsory opening hours from today, an NHS medic has outlined precisely what to expect and the extra changes taking effect.
From Wednesday, October 1, all practices must adhere to NHS England’s new charter entitled: “You and your general practice”. Dr Tim Mercer, who offers medical advice on TikTok, disclosed one major change that patients “will be happy about” was that “practices can’t just say: ‘Just call back tomorrow at 8am’.”
Beginning today, GPs must stay reachable from 8:00am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, and during these hours they can be contacted face-to-face, by telephone, digitally or through the NHS app, reports the Mirror.
Dr Mercer clarified: “Whether you make your request by phone, online or visiting the practice, you have to give us some details and then we can assess what is best for you based on your clinical need.”
He added: “We will consider your request for an appointment or for medical advice and tell you within one working day what will happen next.”
From today (Wednesday, October 1), enquiries could result in an appointment “that day, the subsequent day, or it might just be a text message or advice to go to the pharmacy or another NHS service”.
The NHS website confirms: “Your practice will decide what is best for you based on your clinical need. Your practice cannot tell you to just call back the next day. You might be offered a face-to-face appointment or a phone call with a GP or other member of the practice staff, like a nurse or pharmacist. If you have a carer, they can speak for you with your consent.”
It adds: “You can ask to see a preferred healthcare professional, and the practice will try to meet your request, although you might have to wait longer for that person to be available. It can be helpful to see the same healthcare professional, particularly if you have a long-term health condition.”
Full guidance, provided by the NHS can be found here.
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