We are being encouraged by NHS England to provide telephone consultations.
We feel that it is really difficult for a patient to judge what conditions can be dealt with via a phone-call consultation. It’s difficult for us to know sometimes! And what we really want to do is avoid wasting appointments which will happen if phone call consultations frequently result in follow up face-to-face GP appointments.
We welcome the concept of telephone consultations as a good way of communicating with patients who might work a long way away, or relatives of the frail elderly who have a concern about their mum or dad. Therefore, through Nurse Triage, Care Co-ordination and the “What happens next doc?” system we will provide telephone call consultations and hopefully we will be putting them to the best use.