Coming soon – Changes to GP Access
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Dr Mirza and Partners is changing the way patients access our service. From the 4th November all queries to the practice should be made via eConsult which can be accessed HERE or on the NHS App.
This moves us in line with new NHS contract requirements and responds to recent patient feedback.
Changes to GP Access
From 4th November 2024 all patients will need to complete an eConsult form for appointment requests, prescription requests and administrative queries such as fit note requests or requests for medical records.
These changes are being made in line with NHS England’s guidelines to improve patient access and are not to create barriers. Rest assured the practice is dedicated to ensuring every patient is dealt with promptly in the most appropriate manner every time. By streamlining our processes and using the information provided via eConsult we will be able to ensure patients get the care they need with the most suitable health care professional.
For each request made to the practice, patients can expect a response with advice or an appointment within 48 hours.
More about eConsult
eConsult is a sophisticated way for patients to contact the surgery and access our services. Completing an eConsult will allow you to provide more information when contacting us so we can sent your request to the correct member of our team, ensuring you receive the most appropriate care as quickly as possible. All clinical requests will be reviewed by a senior clinician at which point advice or an appointment will be given with a clinician suited to your needs. Clinical triage also means that if you do need to be seen it will be within a time scale most appropriate based on clinical need rather than a first come first serve basis.
eConsult is a safe and effective way of us collecting information about a problem prior to your consultation and allows us to better tailor your care placing you with the most appropriate health care professional. There is no patient identifiable details stored in eConsult so rest assured that your data remains safe under our care.
eConsult have created their very own guides to support patients submitting their requests, please click HERE if you need some more help. Our dedicated admin team are also on hand to support and Bolton Central Library run ‘Tea and Tinternet’ (a digital drop in session) every Thursday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm. Why not drop in and get support downloading the NHS App.
eConsult is a safe and effective way of us collecting information about a problem prior to your consultation and allows us to better tailor your care placing you with the most appropriate health care professional. There is no patient identifiable details stored in eConsult so rest assured that your data remains safe under our care.
eConsult have created their very own guides to support patients submitting their requests, please click HERE if you need some more help. Our dedicated admin team are also on hand to support and Bolton Central Library run ‘Tea and Tinternet’ (a digital drop in session) every Thursday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm. Why not drop in and get support downloading the NHS App.
What if I am unable to get online
We understand that not all patients have the facility to complete an eConsult which is why we have a team of experienced receptionists on hand to offer support. In these instances the reception team will complete the form for you so that the clinical team can process your form alongside all other requests, please therefore be aware that the receptionists will ask you a series of questions about your health condition.
For those patients that can get online we ask that you please complete an eConsult as this opens up the phone lines for patients who can only telephone the surgery.
For those patients that can get online we ask that you please complete an eConsult as this opens up the phone lines for patients who can only telephone the surgery.
What if I need urgent care
There are inbuilt safety features within eConsult that identify serious medical problems by asking you a series of safety questions whilst you are completing the form. These questions identify any patients who need urgent care and will flag these for priority review when the form is received by the surgery. Urgent forms will be processed promptly and patients can typically expect a response within 6 hours.
Where a more urgent response is necessary eConsult will stop you from proceeding and will redirect you to contact the practice promptly or sign post you to the most appropriate service for treatment.
Where a more urgent response is necessary eConsult will stop you from proceeding and will redirect you to contact the practice promptly or sign post you to the most appropriate service for treatment.
What happens once I have submitted an eConsult
All medical queries and appointment requests are sent directly to our clinical team to assess and respond to. The team will review the information you put in the form to choose the most health care professional to help you. Please therefore provide as much information as possible when submitting your eConsult as this information is all taking into consideration when the clinicians are deciding what care is most appropriate for you.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that the most appropriate person for you to see may not always be a GP? At Dr Mirza and Partners we have a wide range of clinical staff who have different areas of expertise.
Along side our GP;s our clinical team consists of; 2 Physician Associates, a Mental Health Practitioner, 2 Musculoskeletal Practitioners (MSK), an Advanced Clinical pharmacist, 2 Paramedics, a GP Assistant, 2 Health Improvement Practitioners, 2 Social Prescriber link workers, 2 Pharmacists and 2 Pharmacy Technicians.
In addition to our diverse health care team onsite we also work closely with our local pharmacies who offer a Community Pharmacy Consultation Service and Southbrook surgery who run extended access clinics.
It may therefore be more appropriate for you to see another member of our health care team for more tailored care. Completing an eConsult allows the senior clinicians to direct your request and arrange care with the most appropriate member of our clinical team on your first contact with the practice.
Admin related queries will be directed to the correct team within the surgery to review and provide a response to you.
We aim to respond to urgent requests within six hours and all requests within 48 hours whilst we are open.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that the most appropriate person for you to see may not always be a GP? At Dr Mirza and Partners we have a wide range of clinical staff who have different areas of expertise.
Along side our GP;s our clinical team consists of; 2 Physician Associates, a Mental Health Practitioner, 2 Musculoskeletal Practitioners (MSK), an Advanced Clinical pharmacist, 2 Paramedics, a GP Assistant, 2 Health Improvement Practitioners, 2 Social Prescriber link workers, 2 Pharmacists and 2 Pharmacy Technicians.
In addition to our diverse health care team onsite we also work closely with our local pharmacies who offer a Community Pharmacy Consultation Service and Southbrook surgery who run extended access clinics.
It may therefore be more appropriate for you to see another member of our health care team for more tailored care. Completing an eConsult allows the senior clinicians to direct your request and arrange care with the most appropriate member of our clinical team on your first contact with the practice.
Admin related queries will be directed to the correct team within the surgery to review and provide a response to you.
We aim to respond to urgent requests within six hours and all requests within 48 hours whilst we are open.
How will this benefit patient’s
Rest assured that Dr Mirza and Partners is adopting this model to improve patient care, wait times and access to our services, we do not want to create barriers. Patient safety is our number one priority, eConsult’s will be triaged and appointments will be give based on clinical need so all patients can be seen safety at a time most appropriate bases on their symptoms/ condition.
Key benefits of eConsult
You can send your request to the surgery any time between 8am – 5pm, there is no need to phone at 8am and que for an appointment. This makes it fairer for patients who may not be able to phone at 8am and appointments are allocated based on clinical need rather than a first come first serve basis.
You will be able to describe your issue in your own words directly to our triaging doctor, with the forms taking an average of only 3 minutes to complete and there will be no more queuing to speak to a member of the reception team.
Appointments (if required) are more likely to be with the most appropriate clinician on your first contact with the surgery.
You can state your preference to see a specific clinician, therefore patients who need a routine or follow up appointment will be able to schedule their appointment in advance with a particular clinician (which we will arrange where appropriate and when they are available). Please note that if the senior clinician feels that your request is more urgent and does not feel you can wait to see a particular clinician this request may not be honoured however we will accommodate when appropriate and where we are able.
You will get a response to your eConsult submission offering you advice or an appointment within 48 hours, we do however aim to process all requests within 6 hours.
Key benefits of eConsult
You can send your request to the surgery any time between 8am – 5pm, there is no need to phone at 8am and que for an appointment. This makes it fairer for patients who may not be able to phone at 8am and appointments are allocated based on clinical need rather than a first come first serve basis.
You will be able to describe your issue in your own words directly to our triaging doctor, with the forms taking an average of only 3 minutes to complete and there will be no more queuing to speak to a member of the reception team.
Appointments (if required) are more likely to be with the most appropriate clinician on your first contact with the surgery.
You can state your preference to see a specific clinician, therefore patients who need a routine or follow up appointment will be able to schedule their appointment in advance with a particular clinician (which we will arrange where appropriate and when they are available). Please note that if the senior clinician feels that your request is more urgent and does not feel you can wait to see a particular clinician this request may not be honoured however we will accommodate when appropriate and where we are able.
You will get a response to your eConsult submission offering you advice or an appointment within 48 hours, we do however aim to process all requests within 6 hours.