New changes to appointment system

From 22nd July 2024 all appointments with a GP and administrative queries at Bedlingtonshire Medical Group can be requested though the NHS APP, Systmonline, or our website without you having to queue on the phone line at 8.30am. This will enable us to increase our capacity and allow us to triage appointments more effectively.

Using the online form is quick and easy and means no long queues on the phone. You can submit an online form between 8.00am and 4pm, This may vary depending on capacity. Requests submitted after 2pm will still be monitored by our team, but if they are not medically urgent, they will be responded to by the end of the next working day. Clinical queries will be screened by a doctor and categorised according to urgency of need. (Red, Amber, Green) We have appointments available with different time frames, including on the same day. Our patient services team will contact you to arrange an appointment. Administrative requests will be dealt with by our Patients Services team in the usual way.  

By putting all requests into one system we can review all requests and prioritise the people that need help urgently. We can help our patients in an appropriate way depending on what their request is, at a time and in a way that they prefer. We hope by making better use of the appointments, we will be able to increase capacity and reduce waiting times. We also hope that it will be easier for vulnerable patients who really need to get through on the phone.

If you are unable to use the NHS APP or our website, you can still phone or visit us and our Patient Service team will help you by taking the necessary details and filling out the form with you to ensure that everyone is treated equally and fairly.

If you do not have the NHS APP or cannot use the internet for any reason, please call us and we will enter your details into our system for you. This may take longer than our previous system, so please be patient and only call if you cannot use the NHS APP or our website. The same process will apply if you come into the surgery and ask at Reception.

If you have access to the internet on a phone or computer, please go to NHS APP, Systmonline or our website and select the option you require. You will be asked some information about your problem and how you would like us to deal with it.

This information will help us respond to you in the most appropriate way and that you prefer. 

Published: Jul 8, 2024