What is screening and why do we use it?

Screening is the system of managing patients according to their illness or injury so they can be steered to the most appropriate source of help. This allows the doctors to give priority to those most in need. This system has enabled us to offer an increased number of routine appointments for our patients, as well as maintaining our commitment to see emergencies and urgent cases on the same day.

At Plowright Medical Centre, we have introduced a screening system to aid the efficiency of the service we provide to patients. The number of patients requesting same day appointments under the old system was rapidly increasing with demand extremely difficult to predict and the doctors were not able to keep pace.

How it works

When you call us for an urgent, same day appointment you will be asked to give some brief details regarding the reason for your request, along with a contact telephone number. This will allow clinical staff to prioritise calls. All information that you give to any of the medical centre staff will be dealt with in complete confidence.

Your call will be logged with the screening nurse, who will then call you back to assess your problem and identify how best to manage it. One of the following options will be actioned:

• Telephone advice.
• Same day appointment with doctor or nurse.
• Routine appointment with doctor or nurse.

Advantages of screening

• Telephone calls are responded to quickly.
• Your problem may be dealt with by the telephone call saving patients a visit to the surgery.
• If an appointment is needed, you will be seen by the most appropriate healthcare professional, as quickly as possible.

We would like to advise you that, if you feel your problem is urgent and cannot wait, please inform the receptionist. If your problem is very urgent, then dialling 999 for an ambulance would be appropriate.

Routine appointments

Please note that the system for requesting routine appointments has not changed and you can usually request an appointment up to four weeks in advance. For further information please contact the surgery.