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Here are just some of the things you can implement in your GP practice to make your lives easier.
Clinic letters to be summarised and filed by admin, without being sent to a dr, if no action required on your behalf.
The secretary automatically referring to ophthalmology if an optician asks, so you do not need to dictate a letter.
Reception team to use a triage algorithm to direct patients with complaints that should be seen by other health care professionals (e.g. pharmacist/dentist/optician’s).
Blood results to go to the trainee who requested them, not their supervising Dr.
MORNING = We all see usual routine appt’s for 13 pt’s, then 5 same day/urgent appt’s. We find this much better than a duty dr seeing an entire clinic of urgents and everyone else seeing routines.
AFTERNOON = We all see 10 routine’s and 5 same day/urgent appt’s. But the last same day/urgent slot is reserved only for a pt who walks to the desk later in the afternoon (after 4pm) and asks to be seen urgently. Otherwise, it’s left unfilled.
When all the same day/urgent appt’s run out, we cannot magic up new slots. Direct to the OOH service, unless a really sick pt at standing at the desk.
We used to have just the duty dr having an open access same day list which was horrendous!
Catch up slots for whichever clinician asks for it. One dr see’s 2 pt’s then 1 catch up slot. Another see’s 4 or 5 and then one catch up slot. Be flexible. Obviously, the clinic will finish later the more catchup slots you have (because you still need to see the same number of patients).
Duty dr does not see patients at 3pm like the rest of us. They have an extra 1 hr block (3-4pm) to catch up with all the tasks.
Duty dr does not do home visits.
Duty dr box in reception so other dr’s who are passing can dip in to help out if they have a few min free.
Dr allocated to supervise trainees gets blocked slots.
One clinician gets two 30 min slots per week to help keep on top of other peoples bloods who are not there.
Much stricter on the little things that take up time and annoy you e.g. care home asking you to document in their notes or change their MAR sheets or write directives. I made ‘micro policies’ to cover all these little things so everyone knows the state of play.