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+ - Q: What about patients that don’t have internet or a computer? Click to collapse

A: Patients can still call reception who will complete the form on their behalf.

+ - Q: Why are you doing this? Click to collapse

A: The new GP contract states that “patients should be offered an assessment of need, or signposted to an appropriate service, at first contact with the practice.” We can no longer ask patients to call again at 8am the next day because we have no appointments left. The only way we, as a practice, can offer every patient an assessment of need, is by allowing the GPs to triage every request for an appointment.

+ - Q: If I want an appointment with my GP I should be able to get one Click to collapse

A: I’m sure you can appreciate that we have a finite number of appointments, and this new appointment system will ensure that every patient has their clinical needs assessed by a GP and the appointments are given to the patients that really need to see or speak to a GP. Some patients may be sign-posted to other services that are better suited to their needs, and some patients may be given advice on self-care. We may be able to deal with some patients’ requests without an appointment at all.

Bottom line: Our previous system was to give an appointment to every patient who asked for one, regardless of whether they actually needed one or not. Once all our appointments had gone, we would ask patients to call back again the following day at 8am. Patients didn’t seem to like this. The new system means you don’t have to queue on the phone at 8am, and if you need an appointment, you will get an appointment. The GP is the most qualified person to make this decision.

+ - Q: What does "triage" actually mean? Click to collapse

A: To triage simply means to conduct a preliminary assessment of each patient in order to determine the urgency of their need for treatment and the nature of treatment required. Previously, GP appointments were given to whichever patients were lucky enough to get through on the phones first in the morning. That system was unfair to many, and resulted in a lot of appointments being wasted on things that didn't need a GP appointment. The only feasible way to prevent this is to allow a clinical person (i.e., a GP) to assess each patient's request to determine what the best course of action is. You may be offered a same day appointment if needed, but you may also be offered a semi urgent appointment within 7 days or a routine appointment which could be in two or three weeks. If appropriate you may also be offered an appointment with another member of the practice team, advised to attend another NHS service or provided with information for self care. The bottom line is that rather than giving our appointments to anyone who WANTS one, the GPs are giving them to everyone who NEEDS one.

+ - Q: When I call the surgery it's usually because I have a need to see/speak to a GP that day. Will I be left waiting and worrying? Click to collapse

A: The form states that your request will be read by a staff member within 1 working day. Be aware that there are GPs reviewing these requests throughout the day, so if your request is more urgent the GP will make sure that it is dealt with sooner. If your request is less urgent you may have to wait until later in the day to get a response but, if you do need an appointment, you will still be offered one.

+ - Q: I received a link by text to self-book a GP appointment but it doesn't tell me who the appointment is with? Click to collapse

A: The way that the self-booking system works is that it shows you all the available pre-bookable appointments for each specific clinician, or if you don't mind which GP you see, you can see all available pre-bookable appointments for all GPs. If you do this then unfortunately it won't tell you which GP the appointment is with. If you have SystmOnline or the NHS App, you can check which clinician you are booked to see under your appointments.

+ - Q: Why can I only submit a medical request during practice opening hours? Click to collapse

A: This is something we discussed at length and, at least for the time being, we have agreed that this is the safest way for the practice to manage our capacity. We appreciate that there may be times when you would like to be able to contact the practice outside of our working hours however, there are other NHS services available that would be better suited for this purpose. If you, or someone you care for, are taken ill during the night, or over the weekend, rather than sending an AccuRx request and waiting for us to see it when we open again, you can call NHS 111, and receive medical advice straight away. There could also be instances where you submit a request on a Friday night, and by Monday morning you no longer need to see or speak to a GP (if, for example, the problem had resolved over the weekend) but that request has already been sent and the practice would then be spending time dealing with a request that would no longer be necessary.

It may be that in the future we consider increasing the hours during which you can send requests, even if it’s just for admin requests, but for now, until the system is fully embedded and we are confident we can deal with the capacity we are receiving, the online triage will remain closed when we are.

Please be aware that currently, AccuRx Patient Triage closes at 12pm, not 6pm. The reason for this is to prevent any urgent requests from coming through too late for the emergency GP to be able to action them. If you need urgent medical assistance between 12pm-6pm you can still call the practice and the emergency GP can assess your needs and arrange to see you if necessary.

+ - Tips for Submitting an AccuRx Request Click to collapse

The GPs find it really helpful if you can provide as much information as possible when completing the form. In the box that asks “How long have these symptoms or concerns been going on? Have they got better or worse?” please be as specific as possible, as to whether this is a new problem, or an ongoing one, and if it’s suddenly getting worse. It’s also useful to let the GP know if you have been trying anything to help the problem, such as taking any over the counter medication. The box that asks, “How would you like us to help?” is really useful to let the GP know if you are expecting a face to face appointment, a telephone call, or maybe just a text message with some information. Including any specific days or times that you are unavailable really helps as well, in case the GP needs to book the appointment for you rather than sending you a self-book link.
If you have received a text message, or a letter, from one of our GPs asking you to make an appointment (for example to discuss test results or review your medication) you can contact reception to book this appointment. In these instances, you do not need to be triaged because the GP has already asked you to make an appointment
Nurse appointments, HCA appointments, and blood tests can still be booked in the normal way, by speaking to reception. Blood test appointments can also still be booked via SystmOnline
If any patient is unable to go online to complete the form for themselves, they can still speak to reception who will complete the form on your behalf. Parents and carers can also complete the form on behalf of a child or someone they care for
In addition to medical requests, AccuRx Patient Triage will also allow you to submit admin requests for things such as sick notes, test results, and referral queries

Details: Last Updated: 16 June 2024

Dr Ellis Rickwood

MB, ChB, MRCGP, DRCOG

Dr Mark Salisbury

MB, ChB, MRCGP, DRCOG, DFSRH

Dr Deborah Lawrence

MBBS, BSc, DFFP, DFSRH, DRCOG, MRCGP, PGCME

Dr Gillian Kitchen

MB, ChB MRCGP DRCOG DFFP

Dr Nick Bennett

MBBS MRCS(Ed) MRCGP

ALL MEMBERS OF THE SURGERY PRIMARY CARE TEAM ARE DEDICATED TO A QUALITY POLICY TO ACHIEVE HEALTH SERVICES WHICH MEET THE PATIENTS’ REQUIREMENTS.

Practice Leaflet:

All new patients will be directed to our website to view our practice leaflet. A copy of this leaflet can be printed for any patient who cannot access our website.

Surgery Premises:

Our surgery building will be welcoming, easy for patients to find their way around, and appropriate to the needs of users, including those with accessibility needs.

Patients' rights to General Medical Services:

Patients have the rights to:

be registered with a General Practitioner
change doctor if desired
be offered a health check on joining the practice
receive urgent care at any time from the practice
receive appropriate drugs and medicines
be referred for specialist or second opinion if they and the GP agree
have the right to view their medical records, subject to the Acts and associated procedure, and to know that those working for the NHS are under legal obligation to keep the contents confidential

Changes to Procedures:

When changes are introduced to practice procedures that affect patients, we will endeavour to ensure that these are clearly explained, by means of individual leaflets, waiting room noticeboards, and sharing information on our website and social media, giving as much notice as practicable.

Referrals:

Urgent referrals to other health and social care agencies will be made within one working day of the patient consultation. Where requested, our GPs will refer you to a private health provider.
We will normally process non-urgent referrals within five working days of the patient consultation or the doctor's decision to refer.

Test Results:

When a doctor or nurse arranges for a test to be taken the patient will be informed how to obtain the result.

Transfer of Medical Records:

The Practice will endeavour to dispatch any medical record required by the Health Authority within seven working days and same day if the request is urgent.

Privacy and Confidentiality:

We will work with honesty, openness, and transparency.

We will ensure that your private information is kept confidential in line with GMC guidance, and we will always treat you with respect and courtesy.

Appointments:

With a Doctor:

The practice will always provide you with timely access to an appropriate clinical assessment, including same day access to clinical advice when this is required, and active signposting to other services when these are beneficial for your care. We will also provide appointments with a clinician that are bookable in advance, as well as evening and weekend appointments through shared local hub appointments.

For medically urgent requests, we will offer an appointment on the same day.

With a Practice Nurse:

Routine nurse appointments can be booked up to 6 weeks in advance. Availability will depend on the type of appointment needed, as some procedures require longer appointments and can only be carried out by certain nurses.

If there is a delay in the appointment wait (when you arrive) of more than 20 minutes we will let you know.

We are happy to update you on any delay if you feel that you have been waiting too long.

Home Visits:

We are unable to guarantee a specific doctor will visit you as this depends on availability and other factors. The decision to home visit will be at the discretion of the doctor.

Waiting Times:

We endeavour to start all surgeries on time.
We expect patients to be seen within twenty minutes of their appointment time, and in the event of a delay we will offer an explanation.
When a doctor is called away on an emergency, we will inform the patients and give them an opportunity to book an alternative appointment, or if preferred, to be seen by another doctor.

With these rights come responsibilities and for the patients this means:

Courtesy to the staff at all times - remember they are working under doctors' orders. We operate a zero-tolerance policy where verbal and physical abuse will not be tolerated and will be dealt with appropriately.

Responding in a positive way to questions asked by the reception staff.
To attend appointments on time or give the practice adequate notice that they wish to cancel. Someone else could use your appointment!
An appointment is for one person only - where another member of the family needs to be seen or discussed, another appointment must be made.
Patients should make every effort when consulting the surgery to make best use of nursing and medical time - home visits should be medically justifiable and not requested for social convenience.
When patients are asked to give 48 hours’ notice for repeat prescriptions, please give us this time as it is to allow for accurate prescribing.

Details: Last Updated: 03 July 2023

If you're off work sick for more than 7 days, your employer will usually ask for a fit note (or Statement of Fitness for Work) from a healthcare professional. Fit notes are sometimes referred to as medical statements or a doctor's note, and used to be known as Sick Notes.

If you have seen a GP at the surgery regarding the problem for which you need a Sick/Fit Note (or we have received a letter from the hospital about your sickness), you may not need another appointment with the GP. The doctor may also be able to speak to you on the telephone depending on how well they know you and why you are off work sick.

If you have not seen a GP at the surgery and we have had no information from a medical professional about your illness, you will not be able to get a Sick/Fit Note without an appointment.

In either of the above cases, you can complete an admin requst for a sick/fit note using AccuRx Online Patient Triage. One of our GPs will then be in touch to either provide you with a Sick/Fit Note, or to advise that you need an appointment before they can issue you with a Sick/Fit Note.

Sick/Fit notes can only be issued when they are due; although they can be back dated they cannot be future dated. Please do not request emergency appointments for a Sick/Fit Note. Urgent appointments are only provided for genuine medical emergencies and not for the purpose of Sick/Fit Notes.

Sick/Fit notes can be requested by submittng an admin request via our AccuRx Online Patient Triage.

For more information on Sick/Fit notes, please visit the NHS website:

When do I need a fit note?

Can I get a fit note without seeing a healthcare professional?

Can I go back to work before the end date on my fit note?

Details: Last Updated: 17 October 2024


Spring Covid Boosters 2023 Eligible patients have started receiving letters from the NHS inviting them for their Spring Covid Booster.

Crossley Street Surgery is taking part in a new NHS service that helps your GP to spot whether you need more help to manage your health. This service is called “Risk Profiling”.

Details: Last Updated: 11 May 2023

AccuRx FAQs

Patients' Charter