PP9 – Responsive system for patient care

The practice needs to provide different types of consultations, such as long and short consultations, and different levels of access such as appointment systems or walk-in services or telehealth, based on patients’ needs. The practice needs to have a process to inform patients of different appointment types, including options when they are unable to attend in person. Alternative sources of care may include:

• telehealth
• home or other out‑of‑practice visits, where safe and reasonable to do so
• access to after-hours services
• GP telephone advice lines
• emergency services.

The practice needs to have a process for triaging patients according to their urgency of need. The practice could:

• have triage guidelines at the reception area
• have a triage flowchart available for reception staff members and the clinical team
• display a sign in the waiting area advising patients who have a high-risk condition or deteriorating symptoms to tell reception staff members
• show evidence that administrative staff members update the patient waiting list if there has been an emergency, and that they explain to patients that this may increase their waiting time.

The practice needs to have a member of the clinical team who has primary responsibility for training the practice team about triage, including how to:

• identify patients with an urgent medical need
• identify medical emergencies and reprioritises appointments accordingly
• seek urgent medical assistance from a member of the clinical team
• manage patients who have urgent medical needs when the practice is fully booked
• use sensitive and privacy‑aware communication methods when patients indicate they have safety or confidentiality concerns.