Appointment Requests for GP Receptionists and Care Navigators

Safe handling of same-day, routine and urgent requests

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Same-day requests and clinically urgent work

GP reception area with staff assisting patients

Same-day requests are tasks the practice has decided must be handled today. They can involve an appointment, a clinician call-back, urgent signposting, a same-day hub referral or another agreed route.

Same-day handling does not mean every patient sees a GP the same day. It means the request has a same-day owner and an appropriate response under the local process.

Who makes up your local GP practice team? (NHS England Short Film)

Video: 2m 17s · Creator: Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System. YouTube Standard Licence.

This Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care System video shows that general practice teams include roles beyond doctors and nurses. A receptionist explains how asking focused questions helps direct patients to the right clinician or local service.

The video introduces other team roles. A social prescriber describes help with non-clinical issues such as activity groups, form support and attending community services. A physiotherapist explains that people with bone, muscle or joint problems may be booked directly with physiotherapy instead of always seeing a GP.

A paramedic describes visiting people at home when they are too unwell or unable to attend the practice. The film also covers mental health support and closes with the message that answering receptionist questions helps patients reach the appropriate care because several members of the practice team can provide support.

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Same-day handling needs

  • A clear route for identifying same-day work.
  • A named list, clinician, team or workflow that owns it.
  • Accurate patient contact details.
  • Clear records of the concern and timing.
  • A back-up plan if the patient cannot be contacted.
  • Escalation if the same-day route is blocked.

Same-day work is not safe unless someone or some workflow clearly owns the request today.

Scenario

A clinician marks a request as same-day. There are no visible same-day slots left, and a colleague suggests booking it as routine next week to "get it off the list".

What should happen?

 

Ask Dr. Aiden


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