Dr Mercer’s Blog

Monday 13th October 2025

Waiting list

We are aware that the lack of non-urgent triage capacity, and thus not being able to start the process of seeing your doctor, has been a source of frustration for many of our patients. We are keen to increase the triage capacity, but it is important to us that we do this in a safe way. 

Due to real term cuts in government funding, we cannot increase our clinicians and capacity. Therefore, in line with other practices in England and at the advice of the British Medical Association, Local Medical Council and the GP Committee England, we will be developing a waiting list for non-urgent appointments.  

How will it work?

Triage forms will be reviewed by the team.  If appropriate, you will be added to the waiting list and will be informed on the same day.  For digital patients the communication will be via email or text message.  Patients who cannot use online services will receive a telephone call.  When you reach the top of the list you will be invited to book an appointment.  Again, for most patients this will be a text or email.

We will invite everyone three times (unless there are exceptional circumstances) with a week between invitations.  If an appointment is not booked within that time, you will need to start again. The plan is that when an appointment invitation is sent you will be able to access the appointments over the following two weeks with the aim of giving as many booking options as possible.

How long will I be on the waiting list?

We do not know the exact answer to this currently as this will depend on demand. We will be closely monitoring the waiting list and if we think the wait is getting to a level which is not clinically safe then we will need to pause non-urgent triage requests until numbers are back to a safe level. You will be able to check the waiting list times by following this link.

What happens if something changes whilst I am on the waiting list?

There are a few possibilities of changes which may occur whilst patients are waiting, so we have tried to make it as easy as possible for you to inform us of changes via the website or by calling the practice. The website options will be available 24 hours a day.

• Your problem has resolved, or you no longer need an appointment

Please complete the ‘Waiting list patient Appointment no longer needed’ form on the website you can do this by following this link or by navigating to the waiting list section of the GP appointments area. We would greatly appreciate you doing this if you no longer need an appointment, so we do not delay inviting those patients who do need to be seen.

• Your problem has changed or worsened

Please complete the ‘waiting list my symptoms have changed’ form.  This will be re-triaged by the team on the next working day, who will assess if a more urgent appointment is needed or whether it is clinically safe for you to remain on the non-urgent waiting list. It is important that if you think your health is worsening suddenly that you complete an urgent triage or consider accessing 111/A&E in times when the practice is not open.

• You are planning to be away or there is a prolonged time period when you cannot attend an appointment

Please complete the ‘waiting list holiday’ form. This will be reviewed by the team and if appropriate your waiting list entry will be paused. We only need to know about time periods of over a week.  However, if you are away for longer than 2 months then unfortunately you will be removed from the waiting list and further triage would need to be completed on your return.

We are aware that this a significant shift in how our appointments are offered but we are aiming to improve the service for all our patients, and this means expanding triage in the safest way possible. We will be monitoring the system closely and adjusting as needed to ensure patient safety.

Friday 10th October 2025

What happens when you request a GP appointment?

This has been mentioned a few times in  recent feedback, and we agree that understanding the triage process and what happens in practice when patients request a GP appointment would be helpful.

GP appointments are the only triaged appointments on the digital front door; triaged means that the request is reviewed by one of the GPs to decide the clinical urgency and the best team member for the specific problem on the triage request. Please include sufficient information in your triage request to enable the team to make the best decision.

The other appointment options are linked directly to our appointment book, allowing you to book directly from the website. If you see a ‘No Availability’ pop-up for a nurse or musculoskeletal team appointment, it means that there are no appointments available to book. New appointments usually become available each working day between 8am and 9 am. The exception to this would be when a colleague is away from the practice for some reason, such as a holiday or sickness.

For GP appointment requests, we have two categories: ‘Same Day or Soon’ and ‘Planned or Routine’. ’ When you request either of these, you are then invited to complete a triage request:

The triage requests are reviewed daily by the triage team, consisting of two doctors and a nurse. The number of triage forms available daily is directly linked to the number of available appointments. We limit triage requests based on appointment availability because we have a finite capacity and do not want to send out appointment booking invitations when there are no appointments available, as I would not wish to cause this level of frustration to anyone.

 There are three common responses to a triage request:

• You receive a message asking you to book an appointment; the timing of the appointment you will be offered will vary based on the clinical urgency of your request.

• Your name is added to a list for the triage team to contact the same day – this may be because it is felt more information is needed, or because what you need is something simple which doesn’t need a whole appointment (for example, requesting blood tests)

• You will receive a message directing you to an alternative service, such as a local pharmacy or the emergency eye care services.

We recognise that the low availability of routine triage capacity can cause frustration, and we have been collaborating with the PPG (Patient Participation Group) on improving this. You may be aware of the recent changes in GP access advised by the government. We are working on fulfilling this requirement whilst also maintaining patient safety.

If you would like to join the PPG and support the Practice, please follow the link below to find out how: https://www.danebridge.org.uk/?s=ppg

Thursday 2nd October

Why are GP surgeries in England introducing a Digital Front Door?

The shift from analogue to digital will be key in delivering an NHS that is fit for the future.

For further information visit, https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-term-plan

Wednesday 1st October 2025

Did you know that you can directly access information and submit requests 24/7 through our Digital Front Door?

Tuesday 30th September 2025

Did you know that you can directly book many appointments 24/7 through our Digital Front Door?

Monday 29th September 2025

Today we will explain how our ‘on the day’ and routine’ appointments are triaged through our Digital Front Door…

Our ‘on the day’ and ‘routine’ appointments are triaged by a Duty Team, which includes a Partner GP, Doctor and nurse.

Just visit danebridge.org.uk from 8.00am each day.

If you struggle to read the animation, please visit –

https://www.danebridge.org.uk/category/practicenews/ – where you will be able to view the individual imagery.

Sunday 28th September 2025

Over the next week, we wish to welcome all patients to our Digital Front Door…

Our Digital Front Door – makes it easy for you to manage your healthcare, complete a triage request, book available appointments, and communicate with our team.

visit: danebridge.org.uk

If you’re not digitally enabled…

Please do not be concerned, as our Patient Services Team will be able to complete a triage request on your behalf, book available appointments, or answer any questions that you may have.

If you struggle to read the animation, please visit –

https://www.danebridge.org.uk/category/practicenews/ – where you will be able to view the individual imagery.

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