Appointments update - Winter 2024

A letter from Dr Bal Bahia about expanding the use of Anima requests for all our medical appointments. 

It’s been almost a year since we introduced our Anima software system to help us manage the many requests for appointments we get every day.

It was to try and ensure you get the appointment in the right format – telephone or face to face with the best member of the team to deal with your issue – it won’t always be a GP who is best placed to help!

I mentioned previously that our team has widened with paramedics, a pharmacist, social prescribers and a first contact physiotherapist who all work alongside our GPs and our administration and reception teams.

Our experience of using Anima now means we can be more efficient with how we use our appointments. It became clear that some routine appointments that are booked could be managed in a better way if we had the best information about what was needed. We have therefore decided we would like to expand the use of Anima requests for all our medical appointments. If you have an issue that could be dealt with by a member of the wider team or needed tests first, we can communicate and arrange this prior to the appointment to make it more effective for you and more efficient for us.

You can still call the reception team to book your nursing appointments and also to see the First Contact Physiotherapist (FCP) directly (without needing to see a GP first) if you have a musculoskeletal problem that needs assessment – reception can advise what our FCP can see.

What this means is that we need your help to help you!

Last year I wrote and asked if you could help us by using Anima for those issues that couldn’t wait for a routine appointment. You responded brilliantly and, from our point of view, it has overall been received well. 8,300 of our 10,300 patients now have an active Anima account with Burdwood Surgery.

I understand that not everyone will feel able to use Anima to communicate with us. I want to let you know the team will continue to support those of you who have difficulty using the Anima system.

Despite the best will in the world, there are times when the demand for appointments may exceed the safe capacity we have. If this happens, you may be advised to contact 111 for them to assess the urgency of your need and advise next steps.

Get help with NHS 111

The Anima software has some important features including templates that advise if your symptoms suggest more urgent attention is needed, e.g. call 111. It’s for your own safety and wellbeing to not override this advice. The likelihood is that the 111 triage of your problem may give you advice varying from self-care, to seeing a pharmacist, to seeing us or going to A&E.

It helps us to help you if you can fill out the Anima template as well as you can. I know it will be longer for you than just ringing and being given an appointment but as I’ve mentioned it is to let us help you in the best way we can.

I’d also like to remind you that everyone in the surgery comes to work to help, not to block people from appointments. We are juggling limited resources and at times it can be challenging.

Although rare, I want to remind you all that abuse of our staff will not be tolerated.

So, just to summarise, we are using Anima with your help and support to give you the most appropriate and timely response in managing your health problems or queries.

Please help us to help you

Wishing you all the best, and a reminder to have your vaccinations if they’re due!!

Dr Bal Bahia

GP Partner
On behalf of the Burdwood Surgery Team

Published: Nov 26, 2024