We understand how frustrating and difficult it is to get an appointment with your doctor at the moment.
We want to reassure you that your GP practice is open as usual and ready to help you.
However, they are experiencing huge demand with practices treating 40% more patients than at the start of the pandemic.
So, to help make sure everyone can get the care and treatment they need, we ask for your patience and remind you of some small things you can do which can make a huge difference in easing the pressure on your GP Practice.
If we all try to adopt some of these simple habits, your practice will be able to deal with more patients, more quickly and more effectively.
Free up telephone lines
One easy way to help is to free up their telephone lines. Did you know your practice cannot deal with around 50% of the calls they receive!
Delay calling
Monday mornings are the busiest time of the week. There’s always a backlog created by people who have been ill over the weekend.
If your call isn’t urgent, you can make a big difference if you delay your call until later in the day.
Vaccinations
If you’re eligible for a vaccination of any kind, it’s essential you take up the opportunity as soon as possible.
Your practice knows who needs these jabs and they will contact you to arrange an appointment. Please don’t ring your doctor. You won’t receive an appointment any earlier and it just uses up valuable resources which could be helping someone else.
Hospital results
If you are waiting for hospital test results or a referral to a specialist service, please ring the hospital direct.
Your doctor does not receive these results before you and won’t have any information to pass on.
Increase the number of people your GP Practice can see
You can help increase the number of people your doctor can see by taking a few simple steps:
In 2021, 58,000 people didn’t turn up for their doctor’s appointment in the East Riding alone. If you can’t make your appointment please tell you practice as soon as possible. Emailing your practice or cancelling online would be best and it’s easier for you too.
When calling your GP practice give your receptionist some basic information about your health complaint or condition. They are trained to identify who may or may not need to see a doctor and they may be able to help you get the right treatment more quickly. Visit Get Help Sooner for more information on this service.
Did you know your GP Practice has a team of people trained to see and treat patients for a variety of conditions? You don’t always have to see a doctor. You can find out more about the team that makes up your GP practice and their different job roles by clicking on the individual links below.
Health & Lifestyle Practitioner
If your GP Practice cannot provide an appointment during normal opening hours ask your receptionist about evening and weekend appointments, which may suit you better.
Use your practices online services
Did you know you can access many health services online? By using these services you can help make things quicker and easier for yourself.
Download the NHS App and you can order a repeat prescription, request a fit note, get your COVID pass or arrange a medical check-up and much more. Find out how to download the NHS App here.
Sign up to your practice’s online services to contact them for advice and support. You can see test results from your GP practice; order repeat prescriptions; book and cancel appointments; and even use a symptom checker. Click on the link to your GP Practice below to find out more about their online services.
Finally, you may not even need an appointment with your doctor if you have an urgent medical condition. NHS 111 is always available to help. Simply go online to 111.nhs.uk or call 111 and speak to a trained advisor who can give you help and advice and direct you to the right service.
We hope the tips and services on this page will help you not only get more out of your doctor and the team of professionals working with them, but also help ease some of the pressures on your GP Practice so they can hopefully see and treat more of their patients.
