Why are we making this change?
This change should make it easier to submit requests to the practice and ensure that requests are seen by the most appropriate member of staff and dealt with in an appropriate timeframe. The benefits of using online consultations are:
- Easy to access – it should only take a few minutes to fill out your information
- No waiting on hold on the phone
- Your request will be seen by the right person
- Convenience – send your request over whenever you need it, rather than when you can get through on the phone
- The surgery might be able to help more quickly and easily, for example with a phone call, or by referring you directly to the service you need, such as physiotherapy
If the patient completes the form online who will get back to them? A patient could become very anxious waiting for a response for up to 2 working days.
After the triage (admin/clinical) the appropriate team member will be in contact with the patient – that might be a Care Co-Ordinator, Secretary, Pharmacist – depending on the nature of the query submitted.
Will the patient still have a choice of which clinician they see?
We will try to meet this request, availability permitting.
What happens to a request that I send overnight or at the weekend?
The non-urgent medical request form is available during working hours only. But will not be accessible during weekends and evenings, this is for patient safety.
Can I request an appointment on behalf of someone else?
Yes, you can submit the form on behalf of the patient, there is an option within the form to do this. Please ensure you complete both sections for yourself and the patient. We cannot discuss anything about another patients medical history with you without explicit consent from them.
This service is for patients registered with The Park Medical Practice.
Any request you submit will be saved to your record so that whoever calls you or sees you about your query has your information to hand.
What if I don’t have a mobile phone?
You can still use the contact form if you don’t have a mobile phone, you just need access to the internet such as on a computer or tablet device. You do need to provide a contact number of some kind, but this could be a landline if you don’t have a mobile phone.
Will this disadvantage me or my elderly or vulnerable relative?
For those with access to a mobile phone or internet, the new online form will be a more convenient way to contact the practice, which should free up our phone lines for those who really need it – especially those who cannot access the internet for whatever reason.
How will our patient know about this new service?
We aim to update our telephone system message, add details to the website and social media pages.
