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New "triage" system

Story from nhs.uk

"New "triage" system"

About: Highcroft Surgery

I rang the surgery about a week ago, asked to see any GP, any time/day, I can be flexible.

The receptionist asked me why I wanted to see a doctor!

I asked if they're medically trained, they said no they're not.

I told them I've got Golfer's Elbow (naturally, they didn't know what that was) which is to do with the ligaments.

They made me an appontment to see a nurse.

At my appointment, the nurse asked me various questions, I mentioned the pain I'm having in my wrist, from a fracture 11 weeks ago.

They then said they didn't think I'd got Golfer's Elbow (I've had it before) and that they'd refer me for an x-ray of my wrist.

Now, 2 days on, I find that the referral hasn't been sent yet, as a GP has to autorise it!

What is the point of seeing a nurse for things if they have no authority to do things like this?!

I've now got to ring the x-ray appointments number, tomorrow (Friday) to see if the referral has been received by them, and wait goodness knows how long for an appointment (it will be next week or later).

Fed-up, in pain with wrist and inner elbow.

Still waiting again.

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Responses

Response from Highcroft Surgery 7 years ago
Highcroft Surgery

Submitted on 19/08/2016 at 16:07
Published on nhs.uk on 06/11/2017 at 17:32

I'm sorry to read of the frustrations you've had and the delays in getting your X-ray sorted. I understand you've now spoken to a member of staff and the X-ray has now been arranged.

Our Doctors have asked receptionists to ask patients what their appointments are for. This is so that we can direct patients to the right person and so people can be prioritised appropriately. Not every problem needs to be seen or treated by a GP. Doctors, nurses, reception and patients working together can enable far more patients to be seen each day than if everything was booked in with a GP.

Our Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) are highly qualified and trained to see a wide range of conditions. They are supported by our GPs and refer patients back to GPs if necessary. They are able to sign prescriptions, request blood tests, make referrals and request X-rays. Unfortunately the policy of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust is not to allow ANPs in the community to request X-rays directly, something we are asking to be changed as this is not standard practice across the country. This means that requests for X-rays have to be passed to GPs for them to make the request on behalf of the ANP. In this instance there was a delay in getting the request submitted. We have reviewed and changed our processes for this to prevent similar delays in the future.

Matt Doig

Practice Manager

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