New NHS scheme eases ‘8am rush’ for GP appointments, saves man’s life and ‘doubles call capacity’

AN INNOVATIVE scheme trialled by a south London GP practice has helped ease the ‘8am rush’ of phone calls for appointments – and even saved a patient’s life.

On a typical Monday morning, the team of GP receptionists at Wide Way Medical Centre receives about 500 calls.

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Getting through the 8am rush of calls used to be impossible, meaning some patients would hang up after waiting on the line and forcing some to go to A&E.

Staff at the busy GP surgery came up with an innovative solution to answer every single phone call, enlisting the help of ambulance call handlers.

The pilot scheme has seen 80 per cent of calls for a same-day appointment handed over separate hub of 20 call handlers employed by the London Ambulance Service, based 15 miles away in Barking.

Launched in October last year and operating between 8am and 1pm on weekdays, the system has more than doubled the GP practice’s capacity to answer calls and most patients get to speak to a call handler in less than five minutes.

In one case, the new “GP Support Service” has proved lifesaving.

An ambulance call handler spotted an 83-year-old man experiencing a diabetic emergency, which can be life-threatening if not attended to quickly.

The patient called Wide Way Medical Centre during a busy period and was put through to the ambulance call hub.

Staff were quick to identify “red flag” symptoms and sent over an ambulance immediately.

Had the man been kept on hold or not had his call answered, he might have faced a very different fate.

HOW DOES THE SCHEME WORK?

When a call is diverted to the hub of ambulance call handlers under the  “GP Support Service”, a member of the team will note down a patient’s symptoms and book them in for an appointment if needed.

If a GP visit isn’t necessary, the handler will direct a patient to a pharmacy for further advice or treatment.

In case of an emergency, they can send an ambulance to the person’s address.

Head receptionist at Wide Way Medical Centre, Julie Schultzers, told The Times: “Previously some patients would be on hold for half an hour before getting through.

“It was very stressful and busy; patients would get upset.

“Now the average time to answer the phone is less than five minutes. It has made a tremendous difference.”

Difficulty getting through to GPs has been major frustration for many Brits as of late.

Meanwhile, recent figures suggest that millions of patients have to wait nearly a month before being seen by a doctor.

Dr Sayanthan Ganesaratnam, GP principal at the Wide Way Medical Centre, said many practices just can’t answer all the calls they get – due to lack of space for receptionists or too few phone lines.

Bringing in the help of ambulance call handlers now means the practice’s patients will always be able to get hold of someone to speak to, he added.

Dr Johra Alam, clinical director for urgent care at the London Ambulance Service, said it made perfect sense to help out struggling GP surgeries with the “telephony infrastructure” of the ambulance service.

“Quick telephone answering is what we do at the ambulance service. It is our area of expertise,” she told The Times.

“Scaling this model up would have a huge impact on emergency care. Currently if patients can’t access their GP they will go somewhere else in the system – the pressures spill out on to A&E.”

WIDER IMPLICATIONS

The scheme was launched in October 2023 in the East Merton GP practice and is due to be expanded to other NHS practices too.

As well as freeing up pressure on GPs, it has significantly reduced demand on local hospitals, with hundreds fewer patients attending A&E out of desperation to be seen, The Times reported.

Modelling suggests the system could prevent 725,000 A&E visits each year if it was rolled out across London.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “This partnership between two of our members, East Merton Primary Care Network and the London Ambulance Service, shows perfectly how different parts of the NHS can come together and create something new, ambitious and effective.

“The data shows how this trial is saving all parts of the system money at a time when every penny counts, as well as driving down A&E attendance so only those who truly need emergency care access it as quickly as possible.

“It is also ensuring that at the same time the 30,000 patients across the two general practices in the PCN using this service get the right care they need at the right time and in the right place.”