New Appointment Navigation System

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, we have been operating an on the day appointment system. But it is time to change back to a more normal system and we have, following guidance from the Welsh Assembly and our own patient feedback, been looking throughout the NHS to find a system which suits patient care best with our limited resources.

So we are making some changes and we are moving to an

urgent on the day AND routine appointment system.

During the pandemic we learnt the efficiency of using technology – specifically telephone, video, photo and internet contact with you and we will continue to use these efficient technologies.

We will be “assessing” every request for an appointment every day with a trained team of navigators overseen by a GP, responding to each request by the end of the day,

a system we call total triage or navigation.

• Urgent on the day - We will arrange for an appointment on the day for everyone who we assess as needing to be consulted with that day.

• Routine appointments - We will also be able to make available to patients, routine appointments up to six weeks in advance. This will mean that all our patients can be consulted with the correct clinician for their problem.

There are an expanding number of Health Care Professionals in the community around you – particularly the Community Pharmacists, who now have confidential consulting rooms and can prescribe on the NHS.  We have available our local Opticians, who are able to see patients under an NHS service called WECS – the Welsh Eye Care Scheme.  There is Mold Minor Injuries Unit seeing patients every day, and also Dentists and Physiotherapists working locally who are specialists in their field, we also work alongside the District Nursing Team who provide a fantastic service to any patients requiring their support.

We will redirect patients to these clinicians if their case is appropriate.

We have been working hard to provide an expanding range of clinicians now working in the practice as well as GPs and Practice Nurses. We have employed Advanced Nurse Practitioners, a Paramedic, Associate Specialist, Health Care Support workers, a Mental Health trained Occupational Therapist, a Community Psychiatric Nurse dealing with elderly patients, a Clinical Pharmacist, as well as junior doctors rotating to the practice from Wrexham Hospital.

So we are lucky to have a large team.

When trying to get you the most appropriate appointment we value the greatest information you can give us about your condition.

To facilitate this our preferred method of contact is by a medical email which you can find on our website [https://bradleyspractice.wales.nhs.uk/]  called eConsult.

This is a medically designed system, regularly updated by a team of specialists and general practitioners to be as accurate as possible. It asks you the questions of, “what is the problem, what treatment do you want and who do you want to see?” It then goes on to take detailed information depending on your answers.

It makes it possible to match you to the correct appointment.

Our reception desks and telephones will be open all day as usual so you are welcome to use whichever mode of contact you wish, attend in person, ring us, or email us.

Our receptionists will try to take as much information from you as possible and pass this to the appointment navigation team for allocation of appointments.

You will then be contacted by us either by phone, text or email – so make sure you keep an eye out for our reply!

We will be regularly monitoring this system over the next few months to make sure it is working effectively and efficiently and welcome your feedback.

Thank you/Diolch

Dr Matthew Dymock

Senior GP Partner