Hanham Health will launch a new way to access appointments and services from this July.

We have assessed all aspects of our current services and listened to feedback from patients and staff alike. The new process will improve telephone and online access and ensure patients with urgent clinical needs are prioritised, whilst also improving working conditions and job satisfaction for our staff.

At the heart of the new system will be our new GP-led Clinical Assessment Team, who will ensure that all patient requests are assessed by a clinician, to ensure your needs are met in the most appropriate and efficient way. A new online system will allow patients who wish to do so to be able to submit their requests online, track progress and book appointments without needing to telephone the Practice. Those who prefer to use the telephone will also benefit as waiting times will reduce as a result of improving our online services and patients will no longer be treated on a 'first-come, first-served' basis.   

Preparations for the new process have been underway for some time. Presentations to our Patient Participation Groups were made earlier this year and received positive feedback. Our plans fully align with the Governments plans for ‘Modern General Practice Access’ and we have now established a working group to implement the new system. Further patient engagement with more details and a confirmed go-live date will be announced in due course.

Our current services are operating under significant strain and we are not offering the level of service we would like to. Much of this is due to factors outside of our direct control but we know that many of our processes and systems can be improved. We are sorry for any inconvenience currently caused to our patients.

However, any shortcomings of our current system are not the fault of our front-line staff who are experiencing increased amounts of abusive behaviour. We need to retain and recruit staff to ensure our new processes be implemented effectively and so ask that patients treat our staff with respect and understanding when contacting us so as to not exacerbate the challenges we face.

We have several key vacancies within the Practice and would welcome our patients’ support in filling them to help us deliver a better service. Please click here to see our current vacancies: Vacancies (hanhamhealthsurgery.nhs.uk)

We will publish regular updates and information about the forthcoming changes on our website and social media channels in the coming weeks to keep patients up-to-date. In the meantime, thank you for your patience and understanding.

Published: May 26, 2023