AN INNOVATIVE scheme trialled by a south London GP practice has helped ease the '8am rush' of phone calls for appointments - and even saved a patient's life. On a typical Monday morning, the team of GP receptionists at Wide Way Medical Centre receives about 500 calls. 1 A GP practice enlisted the help of ambulance call handlers to make sure patients' calls get answered Credit: Alamy Getting through the 8am rush of calls used to be impossible, meaning some patients would hang up after waiting on the line and forcing some to go to A&E .
Staff at the busy GP surgery came up with an innovative solution to answer every single phone call, enlisting the help of ambulance call handlers. The pilot scheme has seen 80 per cent of calls for a same-day appointment handed over separate hub of 20 call handlers employed by the London Ambulance Service, based 15 miles away in Barking. Launched in October last year and operating between 8am and 1pm on weekdays, the system has more than doubled the GP practice’s capacity to answer calls and most patients get to speak to a call handler in less than five minutes.
In one case, the new “GP Support Service” has proved lifesaving. An ambulance call handler spotted an 83-year-old man experiencing a diabetic emergency, which can be life-threatening if not attended to quickly. The patient called Wide Way Medical Centre during a busy period and was put through to the ambulance call hub.
Staff were quick to identify “red flag” symptoms and sent .
