Total Triage is a system that triages patients based on their needs, and allocates them to the most suitable care option.

Patients will be required to complete an online consultation form if you would like to book an appointment with the Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or other surgery Clinicians. These appointments will no longer be bookable on the phone. Our Reception team will assist with completion of an online consultation form by phone or at the desk, for those who may not have easy access to a computer or smartphone.

It ensures that every patient contacting the surgery first provides information about their reasons for contact, and is triaged before an appointment is made.

• Following these changes, the online consultation form will be available Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6:30pm, excluding Bank Holidays and during surgery closure for staff training.
• It is an online form that you complete with details of your request, both clinical and administrative. It can also be completed on your smartphone via the NHS App under the services option. Please ensure you have notifications turned on. More information can be found here.
• You may wish to visit the NHS Website or refer to our website before submitting a triage request. There are also self-referral options for patients.

You DO NOT need to complete an online consultation form if you would like to book an appointment with the Practice Nurse; please call the appointment line to book a nurse appointment.

• If you are unable to complete it yourself, please contact the surgery and a staff member will complete it on your behalf.
• Once we have received your online consultation form, it will be reviewed by the Duty Doctor and care coordinators within 24 hours, and a decision will be taken to the most appropriate course of action.
• Repeat prescription requests will still take up to five working days to be actioned.
• General Practice is not equipped for emergency or immediate review. There is urgent care and A&E for issues requiring immediate attention. There will still be a Duty Doctor who will triage, and urgent requests such as palliative patients or sick patients appropriate for Primary Care will be managed as needed.

Woodlands Surgery is GP training practice. We have GP trainees who will be seeing patients, and they are under the supervision of senior Clinicians.

In addition to the GPs, we have other team members including Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Pharmacists, a Physiotherapist, a Mental Health Practitioner, and a Social Prescriber. If you require an appointment, you will be booked with the most appropriate staff member to assist.

1. Open the NHS App and log in.
2. Select the 'Services' icon on the homepage. 
3. Choose one of the following options:
4. Contact your GP about a health problem: to describe symptoms and receive advice or an appointment.
5. Contact your GP surgery for an admin or routine care request: to request administrative items like a fit note or test results.
6. Follow the on-screen prompts to submit your request.

More Information is available at nhs.uk/nhs-app.

There are many local and free NHS services that you can refer yourself to.

If you submit an online consultation form and are suitable to be referred to one of these services, you will be referred and contacted regarding the next steps.

Please see below to learn about the different types of support available to help you take control of your wellbeing;

• Pharmacy First: pharmacists can offer advice on a range of illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, and aches and pains. Pharmacies can also offer prescription medicine and antibiotics for some conditions, including impetigo, infected insect bites, earache, sore throat, urinary tract infections (UTIs) and shingles.
• New Medicine Service (NMS): if you're prescribed a medicine to treat a long-term condition for the first time, you can get help and advice about your medicine from a local pharmacist. This is done through a free scheme, and the pharmacist will support you over several weeks to use the medicine safely and correctly.
• Support with your MSK condition: access to support your recovery from common muscle, bone and joint pains at home.
• Minor Eye Care Service (MECS): provides assessment for many common eye conditions through your local optician, including sudden or recent reduction in vision, red eye(s) or eye lids, pain and/or discomfort in the eyes, recent onset or sudden increase of flashes and/or floaters, mild trauma such as a scratch, suspected foreign body in the eye, recent onset of double vision, significant recent discharge from or watering of the eye.
• Opticians and Sight Tests: find an opticians and see if you are entitled to free NHS eye tests.
• Dental Treatment: find out what dental services are available on the NHS, how to find an NHS dentist, and how much dental treatment costs.
• Bexley Deaf Centre: get your hearing aids checked or repaired by trained staff.
• Women's and Girls' Health Hub: appointments for issues such as heavy periods, peri/menopause, coils and other contraception, pre-pregnancy advice, guidance on treating thrush or bacterial vaginosis, emergency contraception and sexual health advice, cervical screenings, and help if you have been sexually assaulted.
• How to find an NHS gender dysphoria clinic: if your particular needs may need to be addressed by transgender health services offered by NHS gender dysphoria clinics (GDCs).
• Contraceptive Pill: find a pharmacy that offers the contraceptive pill. Available for those who also wish to start the contraceptive pill.
• Blood Pressure Check: find a pharmacy that offers blood pressure checks.
• Community Connect: supporting people to improve their health and wellbeing by connecting them with activities, support and services in the community.
• Mind in Bexley: services to make a positive difference to the mental health and wellbeing of people in Bexley, including talking therapies, recovery college, employment support and mindful mums groups.
• Your Pregnancy Care: refer yourself to NHS maternity services so you can start your pregnancy care with a midwife.
• Solace in Bexley: 1:1 advocacy, support and safety planning for medium to high risk service users, support regardless of sexuality or gender.
• Cruse Bereavement Support: helping people through one of the most painful times in life, with bereavement support, information and campaigning.
• Weight Management Service: free access to Gro to help you lose weight and take control of your health.
• Diabetes Prevention Programme: in just 9 months you can prevent type 2 diabetes by joining an expert-led NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP).
• Healthy Living for People with Type 2 Diabetes: a free, online NHS programme that supports people to live well with type 2 diabetes.
• Bexley 0 to 19: guidance and support to families with children and young people, including well baby clinics and infant feeding clinics.
• HeadScape: a self-help website to support mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.
• Kooth: mental health support to young people from age 10 and up.
• Bexley Children & Young People’s Speech and Language Therapy Service: supports and cares for children under the age of 19 who have difficulties communicating or eating, drinking and swallowing.
• Bexley Carers Partnership: information and support if you care for or look after someone in Bexley.
• Sexual Health Bexley: advice on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and how to access free testing, contraception, free condom services, unplanned pregnancy and how to find your nearest sexual health clinic.
• Smokefree Bexley: free, friendly and effective practical support as well as advice on stop smoking medications and vaping.
• The Pier Road Project: support for drug and alcohol treatment, prevention, early intervention and wellbeing.
• Age UK Bexley: sevices include nail cutting, care needs assessment and support at home.
• Dementia Connect Bexley: dementia support services can give you personalised help and advice face to face, over the phone or in writing.

To see a full list of NHS Services, please click here.

To see a full list of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust services, please click here.

• Practice Nurse appointments can still be booked by calling the surgery appointment line.
• Prescription requests can be submitted by completing an online consultation form. You can also download the NHS App or contact your pharmacy to request repeat medication. Medication requests may take up to 5 working days to be actioned.
• Administration queries can also be submitted via an online consultation form.
• If you are submitting a photo or document alongside your request, please make sure it is clear and in good lighting. Please do not send photos of intimate areas.
• Please submit seperate requests for individual issues, so they can be reviewed and actioned by the appropriate member of staff.
• There is a proxy flow feature, which allows parents, guardians, carers or similar to submit a form on behalf of a patient. Please make sure each submission is only for one patient.
• Please make sure you provide your up-to-date mobile number, as we may call or text with an appointment, or with further information. We may also email if we cannot get in contact on the phone.
• If you have the NHS App and notification turned on, you may get a message sent to your NHS App.
• We have weekend appointments at other sites in the local area, and the option to refer patients to other services, such as Pharmacy First or a Women’s and Girls’ Health Hub. Please be aware that you may be referred to another service if this is suitable.

• We ask that patients please notify us of any change in their contact details; it is important we have up-to-date information.
• You do not need a login to access this service, and it is available to all patients registered at the surgery.
• If you are booked an appointment following your online consultation form, we will not be able to help you with any other issues that you bring up during this appointment, as sufficient time has not be allocated for us to do this.
• If you require support when the surgery is closed, you can still access NHS self-help advice regarding your condition here.
• If you have an urgent medical problem and you’re not sure what to do, please call 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk.
• For medical emergencies, please call 999. For example; chest pains, significant shortness of breath, severe bleeding that cannot be stopped or a suspected stroke.

After you have filIed out an online services form, you will be asked if you would like the verify your identity. If you click ‘Yes, verify’ and then ‘Continue’ you will be sent an SMS message with a verification code to enter. This verification code is known as a two-step authentication process and it allows the surgery to match your request to your health record much faster.

If you click ‘No, skip this step'’ then you will be able to continue to complete the form however, it may mean that there will be a slight delay in your request being completed. The surgery will have to manually locate your health record and match it with your request.

There are many benefits to this Total Triage model being introduced, such as;

• No need to wait on the phone.
• No 8am rush for appointments.
• Patients can complete an online consultation form at a pace that suits you. You can also add pictures or documents if appropriate.
• Your request may be resolved with a telephone call or via messaging, saving you a trip to the surgery.

If you would like to read more information from Accurx who will be providing the services, please click here.

This system allows patients to contact the practice online, by phone or by walking in, and for patients to have an equitable experience across these access modes. This will be a key intervention in the government’s ambition to end the 8am scramble, as part of the 10 Year Health Plan for England.