Case study: Carshalton Fields Surgery

Total triage: Making the 8am rush manageable with Accurx

Carshalton Fields Surgery serves a population of 3,800 patients within South West London. Before October 2022, the team struggled to effectively manage their incoming patient queries. 

That all changed when the Surgery decided to use Accurx and move to a total triage model, in accordance with NHS guidance.

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Impact at a glance:

300 fewer calls a month to the practice

Time saved, admin reduced and pressure alleviated

Patients are now prioritised based on clinical need

Context: inbound out of control

Before late 2022, staff would receive patient requests via phone, email, online and in-person, recording these in a triage list in EMIS. Having so many inbound channels was overwhelming for staff and left them concerned that a request might slip through the cracks.

As a result, staff struggled to collect information and allocate appointments with any consistency. This had a negative impact on clinicians, who had no structured way to view patient details or make quick and effective triage decisions.

 Without firm control over inbound, the team often found themselves offering appointments on a first-come-first-served basis. This meant clinical capacity often went to patients who were most able to call and wait, rather than those in the greatest need.

We simply chose a date to go live, sat down with all the team and stepped through one or two tests. Because it [Accurx] is such an easy system, it didn’t really require more than that. We were surprised actually at how easy it was to use.

Trevor de Sá, Practice Manager,
Carshalton Fields Surgery

Come November 2022, the Surgery began using Accurx to...

Quickly triage patients based on their clinical need – before scheduling any appointments.

Allow patients to send medical and admin requests via a simple web link, helping capture all the necessary information.

Submit patient requests on behalf of patients, funnelling these all into one shared inbox.

How they use Accurx for total triage

In November 2022, the Surgery started using Accurx to put all patient requests through the same triage system. The team replaced their external email inbox with a Patient Triage weblink, which enables patients to submit medical and admin queries easily and efficiently.

Every day, two members of the team manage incoming demand, tracking capacity and workload in real time.

 Staff encourage patients to complete Patient Triage requests themselves though if this isn’t possible, patients can call in and go through the triage form with the receptionist (known as Reception Flow). All requests flow into a single inbox in their Accurx toolbar.

Hear the full story from Carshalton’s Practice Manager

The team use Accurx’s full toolkit to manage patient requests

Patient Triage and Reception Flow let the practice funnel all requests into one inbox, ready for the team to action

Staff can send SMS messages and patient questionnaires to collect data, monitor conditions and meet needs remotely

Accumail lets staff communicate quickly and easily with other NHS services, without system hopping

With Self-Book, staff can instantly send patients booking links to take the time out of appointment booking

Impact so far

300 fewer
calls a month

received by the Surgery since switching to total triage

Simpler, structured triaging

has saved time, reduced admin and eased pressures on staff

A more
equitable service

ensures patient requests are prioritised based on clinical need

Impact: phone lines unblocked and inbound in hand

1,200 patient requests are now submitted to the Surgery each month – all flowing into one integrated, shared inbox. Despite having only one GP, the practice are already meeting new contract requirements for triage process and response times.
Reception staff no longer face blocked phone lines or have the stress of managing multiple inbound channels. Instead, they can use a simple, admin-light workflow that hands responsibility for appointment allocation over to clinicians.
Clinicians now receive high-quality patient information in a standardized format. This enables the team to monitor patient communications and make triaging decisions quickly and confidently with all the relevant information to hand.

Learning the new system was as easy as learning how to use WhatsApp. I absolutely love it. It is a lot more organised. Now all the patients have their own notes. You can see the dates and it is tidy.

Lacey, Receptionist, Carshalton Fields Surgery

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