"Instead, he spends that time sifting through the online appointment requests to work out what each patient needs. Last week there were 84 requests, and the week before it was more than 100. "It's relentless - you get about two minutes to look at each," Dr Turner says. "We're getting lots of requests we would not have had previously - questions like, 'Should I take this food supplement?' Previously patients would not have bothered GPs with things like that.""
"Dr Turner's Hertfordshire practice started complying with a new government directive to offer online booking for non-urgent appointments across England in September. Dr David Turner The idea is make it easier for patients to book non-urgent appointments or ask questions - and end the 08:00 scramble to get through on the telephone and, in turn, free up lines for urgent cases. But the increased administrative workload for doctors means the practice is now offering fewer appointments overall."
Dr David Turner no longer sees patients on Wednesday mornings and instead triages online appointment requests, receiving 84 one week and over 100 the previous week. Triage time averages about two minutes per request, and many requests are for minor issues such as whether to take supplements. Triage via online requests risks delayed recognition of urgent cases that would have been identified by phone. The practice began offering online booking for non-urgent appointments under a government directive to ease morning phone pressure, but administrative burden has led to fewer available appointments. The British Medical Association has opened a formal dispute and warned of potential patient risk and work-to-rule action. Members of the public say online booking is welcome but undermined by a lack of available appointments.
Read at www.bbc.com
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