Ash Surgery - Appointment Triage System

Important Update: We Are Moving to Total Triage from Thursday 6th November 2025

From Thursday 6th November 2025, our GP practice will be moving to a Total Triage System.

General Practice Improvement Programme

Recently, the practice has taken part in a General Practice Improvement Programme which supports General Practice's to make changes and help improve capacity and access.

Part of this programme was looking at appointment data and analysing GP appointments that could have been seen by another health care professional.

Following our audit, we discovered around 38% of GP appointments were inappropriately booked (meaning that the appointment could have been booked with another more suitable healthcare professional) this is around 73 GP appointments per week.

Action - Implement total triage to reduce this to around 10% which will be roughly 19 GP appointments per week. Saving around 54 appointments weekly for patients who truly need them.

Phone calls: 29% of calls between 8–10am were not urgent. Many could have been managed at a different time of day or through the Digital Front Door and the NHS App. Only 46% of calls were from patients who actually needed an appointment.

What does this mean?

All requests for GP appointments or advice will be triaged first (looked at and assessed) by our clinician led team.
You can contact us online by filling out a Blinx Health Form which will be submitted and reviewed by the clinician led team on the day. If you're unable to fill out an online consultation form, you can still call the practice on 0151 727 1155 and one of the trained Care Navigators will help you fill in this form to be processed in the same way.
It is important to select the correct form specific to your health issue as this will help the clinician to triage and book you in for the most appropriate appointment.
One of our Care Navigators may request more information from you if we do not have enough information provided, so please ensure you provide as much detail as possible about your problem.

The Clinician led team will then decide the best next step for your care — this could be:
a telephone appointment
a face-to-face appointment
a future appointment
advice by text or email
or signposting to another appropriate service.

Why are we doing this?

To improve safety – triage helps make sure patients are seen by the right person, at the right time.
To reduce waiting times – some problems can be solved quickly without needing to wait for a routine appointment or they can be seen by another clinician at the practice.
To use GP time more effectively – so we can give longer appointments to those who need them most.

How will this help you?

You won’t have to rush to phone at 8am – your request will be looked at the same day if you contact us during opening hours.
You will be offered care in the most convenient and appropriate way for your needs.
It means quicker responses for urgent issues and more efficient care overall.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Will I still be able to see a GP in person?
Yes. If the GP feels you need a face-to-face appointment after reviewing your request, you will be offered one. This may not be on the same day.

What if I can’t use the online form?
You can still call the practice as usual. Our Care Navigator team will collect the details and pass them to the Clinician Led Team for triage.

Does this mean it will be harder to see my GP?
No. In fact, it should make it easier and fairer. By triaging requests first, we can make sure urgent cases are prioritised and everyone gets the care they need in the right way.

What if my problem is urgent?
If you tell us your issue is urgent, your request will be reviewed the same day and prioritised appropriately.

Can I still book in advance?
Some problems can be managed without an appointment. If you do need to be seen, the clinician will arrange the right type of appointment, either same day or planned in advance.

Will I always have to speak to a GP first?
Not always. Sometimes another healthcare professional (such as a nurse, pharmacist, or physiotherapist) may be the best person to help, and you may be directed to them instead.