OLEA Online Consultations
OLEA will be managed in-house by the Northampton GP Enhanced Access Service, which you may have accessed in the past. You can make bookings via your GP practice reception team.
This service will replace LIVI, which will no longer be available as a free service. Instead, OLEA will be managed by your trusted local GPs, who are familiar with local healthcare pathways, prescribing guidelines, and referrals. This change will allow us to be more efficient when dealing with your needs and greater control over appointment availability.
How will this benefit you?
GPs with local knowledge of healthcare pathways, referrals, and prescribing guidelines, working to support you.
Additional video or telephone consultations
Available healthcare when you need it.
Greater visibility of available appointments, allowing us to plan and allocate them to better suit your needs.
Same Day Access
Anima Online Same Day Access Service
All patients wanting to be seen on the day will be dealt with by a dedicated member of our Same Day Care Team. All requests are triaged by a doctor and appropriate treatment and care will be offered, this may be a face to face appointment, a prescription, telephone advice or a referral. Please call between 08:00am – 9.30am if you do not have access to the internet.. Any calls after this time will be asked to call the following day as we have limited capacity.
On contacting the practice you will be asked by our staff to give a detailed description of the problem to allow the information to be passed to the doctors to enable them to advise and treat you as quick as possible. If the doctor requires additional information then he/she will ask a member of our team to contact you and ask further questions.
There is no need to come to the practice when we open to secure an appointment. As long as you access our services between the hours of 8.00-9.30 you will be treated. Alternatively to save you calling and waiting on our phone system you can make a request via our online service. See link above.
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
We will use the information you give us to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or health professional to help you.
Routine Appointments
Anima Online Same Day Access Service
Please contact the practice to book a routine appointment with a member of our Clinical Team. These appointments are available four weeks in advance (please be aware these appointments are very popular and get booked up very quickly) . If you cannot wait for the next routine appointment offered, please fill out the same day access request form from Anima see above details how to register. This will be available between 8.00am – 9.30am.
It may not be necessary to have an appointment, our reception staff will ask you some questions and be able to signpost you to the correct department, organisation or clinician to offer advice and guidance.
Appointments are also available for medicals such as HGV, elderly driver fitness to drive and fostering, these medicals are only available for registered patients. Please contact the surgery for more information as these services may involve a charge both for the medical and for failure to cancel the booked appointment. Please call the practice and we will be able to advise you.
When you get in touch, we’ll ask what you need help with.
We will use the information you give us to choose the most suitable doctor, nurse or health professional to help you.
About your appointment
- One appointment is for one person. If you want another member of your family to see the doctor or nurse, please book a further appointment.
- Appointments with a GP are for ten minutes in duration and it is unlikely the doctor will be able to deal with more than 1 problem
- If attending the practice for a face to face appointment.
- Do not attend your appointment if you have any COVID-19 symptoms
- If you would like a chaperone please speak to the doctor
- If you need an interpreter please ask the receptionist to organise for you on booking your appointment
Training Practice
We are a GP Training Practice which means that we have GP Registrars and medical students working at the practice. A Registrar is a fully qualified doctor who has been working in hospital medicine and is in training to become a GP. Part of the training involves the recording of consultations which are then assessed with the GP trainer.
If your consultation is to be recorded you will be informed of this when booking your appointment and asked to sign a consent form prior to your consultation.
Telephone Consultations
- If you want to talk to the doctor or nurse but do not feel you need an appointment to be seen, we can arrange for the doctor or nurse to telephone you or request a video consultation.
- Ask the receptionist who will be happy to arrange this for you either on the day or in advance.
Home Visits
Patients are requested, where possible, to telephone before 9:30am if a home visit is required that day.
We would request that, apart from the genuinely housebound, all other patients attend the surgery rather than request a home visit because of the extra time home visiting takes. On average four to five patients can be seen in surgery in the time it takes to do a single house call.
Late For Your Appointment
- Please attend your appointment on time. Lateness impacts on other patients and the other clinicians involved.
- If you are late you may not be seen and asked to rebook another appointment on another day.
Interpreter
If you require an interpreter to attend with you when you see your Doctor please notify the receptionist and she will arrange this for you.
Cancel an Appointment
It is important that you inform the reception staff if you are unable to attend your appointment, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. If you fail to notify the Practice that you are unable to attend, you may be sent a letter informing you that you have defaulted from your appointment. Persistent defaulters maybe removed from the list.
If you need help when we are closed
If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or call 111.
NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
If you need help with your appointment
Please tell us:
- if you would prefer to consult with the doctor or nurse by phone, face-to-face, by video call or by text or email
- if you need an interpreter
- if you have any other access or communication needs
DNA Policy
Background
We strive to offer as many appointments to our patients as possible. In order to do this we need to have strict guidelines in place to fully utilise every available appointment.
In light of this we have introduced this policy; Did Not Attend (DNA) for our patients.
What does “DNA” mean?
DNA means Did Not Attend.
It is when a patient fails to attend their appointment without a valid reason, which results in a waste of an appointment. The appointment could have been given to another patient who maybe in urgent need of care.
If you need to cancel your appointment, then just let us know. We would like at least 24 hours’ notice, but we know this is not always possible, so, try and let us know at least 1 hour ahead of your scheduled appointment time. If you cancel your appointment with less than 1 hour to go, then this will still be classified as a DNA as we did not have enough time to offer and fill this appointment so it will be an unused appointment.
What can I do to cancel my appointment?
- Call the Practice
- Use SystmOnline or the NHS App
What happens if I miss an appointment?
If you miss ONE appointment:
You will be sent a letter to remind you that you missed an appointment, and direct you to review this policy, so you are aware of the next steps if you fail to turn up to any other appointments within a 6 month rolling period.
If you miss TWO appointments within a rolling 6-month period:
You will be sent a warning letter from the practice, advising you that another missed appointment could result in you being removed from the practice list.
If you miss THREE appointments within a rolling 12-month period:
You may be sent a removal letter indicating that you are being removed from the practice list unless there was a valid reason for you missing your appointment.
If there is a valid reason, then the third DNA will be removed but the first two DNAs will remain.