Do I need to see a GP?

Please don’t be offended if you are asked what the problem is when you ring to book an appointment.
This is called Care Navigation and it’s about helping you get to the service you need!

About Care Navigation

Over the last few months you may have noticed your receptionist asking for a brief outline of your problem when you ring to book an appointment.

This is because we have introduced something called “Care Navigation”. It means we have trained our receptionists and clerical staff to help patients find the most appropriate place for their care. They will be able to give you information about a range of services that may be able to help you so you can make an informed choice about who the best person to help might be.

Receptionists will never offer clinical advice or triage; this new way of working is about offering you the choice to see more appropriate professionals in the practice team or even somewhere else. If they can deal with the problem directly, it will often be quicker and means you may not need to see your GP at all.

By working this way, it helps to free up time for GPs to care for patients with complex or serious health conditions that can only be managed by the GP. More importantly, it means people can be seen by the professional who is best placed to manage their problem.

The choice is always yours though and you will never be refused a GP appointment but we hope next time you contact your GP and speak with the receptionist you will see the value of seeing another health professional where appropriate.

If you would like someone to explain this to you in person, a member of our practice team will be happy to help.