The team at Frome Medical Practice is currently working on improvements that will be made to the appointment booking system in September and, in order to make the changes a success, the practice is starting to talk to patients about the changes now. 

The improvements mean patients will be able to request appointments online from 21st September 2023. Instead of phoning the practice, from this date patients will be able to complete an online form via the practice website, which will outline their health query, saving themselves time spent making a phone call. 

It will still be possible for patients who are not confident online or don't have the technology to complete an online form to telephone the practice, or visit in person, to discuss their medical issue with a member of the team. The team will then complete the online form on their behalf and it will be assessed in the same way as those forms submitted online. 

A GP assesses the online form at the practice and the appropriate follow up will then be actioned. This clinical assessment by a GP will be the same whichever way you access the practice, whether by the online form, over the phone or by visiting the practice in person. The changes will mean GP appointments will not always be offered on the same day, but will be assessed for urgency to determine when an appointment is booked. Patients will continue to be able to use the NHS App for repeat prescriptions and to book appointments such as NHS Health Checks, blood tests and cervical screening. 

Practice Manager Karen Creffield said, "We appreciate this is a big change for patients and we hope that by starting to talk about it now we can allay fears and clarify what these changes will mean for patients. We know our current system for making appointments is challenging for patients, and we're looking forward to introducing changes which will make contacting us easier and less stressful." 

Gareth Hannam is the Digital Transformation Lead at the practice and said, "The system we will be launching in September has been used around the country by other practices for a while, and we are looking forward to implementing it here at Frome Medical Practice."

"We will be encouraging as many patients as possible to use this new system when it is introduced later this year. We understand though that some patients will be anxious about what this means. And so, over the next few months we will be sharing more information about what to expect. Staff will also be available in the practice in September to show patients how to use the new system and we will continue to offer our Digital Health Drop Ins, which have been hugely successful over recent weeks."

The timeline of what patients can expect over the next three months is as follows: 

Ongoing

Digital support is available to patients as follows: 

• Digital Health Drop In at the practice every Tuesday 10am-12pm and every Thursday 4pm - 6pm (for any health related technology queries) 
• Digital Cafe at the Cheese and Grain every Thursday 10am - 11.30am (for any digital / technology queries)

Early July

• Announcement of changes to appointment system 

Mid to late July 

• Self check in kiosks will be reinstalled at Frome Medical Practice. 
• Patients will also be able to self check in via their mobile phones if they prefer to do this.
• IT kiosks will be installed at the practice. These will contain iPads for patient use, initially to find out more about services available at the practice but when the new system launches in September it will be possible to complete an online appointment request using these iPads. 

Late July / early August

• A series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the changes will be shared with patients. 
• It will be possible for patients to ask further questions about the new system from this time. 

August

• The practice will continue to share updates about the new system and will update the FAQs as a result of patient questions they receive. 

Mid September

• More information about the changes will be shared in local press, on the practice website and on the practice social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube)

21st September 

• New system launches
• Support available to patients at the practice to help them use the new system 

Further updates on the introduction of the new system will be shared on the practice website and social media and with the local press over the next few weeks. Patients are advised to look out for the Frequently Asked Questions update later in July, which will provide more detail about what to expect.