My surgery is apparently changing over at the end of January to the Accurx triage system, I've read the blurb and you apparently submit an online form detailing symptoms and a doctor reviews it and decides whether you need a face to face, phone call or routine appointment ( assuming you haven't actually expired in the meantime).
Its meant to reduce the 8am rush for appointments and make it easier to get through to the receptionists for other reasons. I've heard other members mention it, so just wondered how well it works? Experiences please.
Written by
Sparklingsunshine
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
My first thought was “accursed” for the pronunciation as being the closest… let’s hope it doesn’t turn out to be so. I hate these people who think they’re being clever by adding an ‘X’ to words or spelling things wrong just to be trendy…
Accurx sounds very similar to the PATCHS system my surgery uses. You submit a form online through answering a number of questions. You can choose how you want to be contacted and your availability.
I find it works well as I don't have to speak to anyone at the surgery if I don't want to. Some issues or requests are sorted online. I find I get phone or the holy grail f-f appointment's fairly easily if necessary. So if it's anything like that I find it useful.
Isn't this new all round? The surgery I'm with is starting it on 14th January and I'm not planning on being one of the first to use it but you never know. I just hope its not like the eConsult, which several times when I tried to use it, it threw me out and told me to use 111 or go to a&e due to various symptoms which I always have.
The problm with eConsult was it was only ever open for a couple of hours morning and afternoon and if you missed that slot you had to wait for the next opening. Will this one be open during surgery opening hours?
Sounds a bit like the direct messaging my Surgery used to use which was great and often able to get things sorted without having to see or even speak to anyone, they how have an 'ask a Dr/ Nurse a question' message option which I've yet to try but seems similar with a 2 working days response time.... if it means no more getting past the Rottweiler on reception where you publicly plead your case it's got to be an improvement 😅
That's why I like using the on-line methods to contact my surgery as you don't have to speak or see anyone unless you really need to. Much less stressful than being patronised down the phone when you feel unwell or being triaged by reception! 🤔😐
Absolutely agree! The less you have to interact with them often the better the outcome, short, simple message requests are often dealt with without drama 😏
AccuRx has been in use at mine for about a year , i've never used it yet.
It's not necessarily a doctor who triages , well not at mine anyway , your online form is assessed by their 'Clinical Assessment Team' which is made up of GPs/Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs) /Mental Health or our First contact physio team (FCP)'
who will then decide whether to "direct to you to the most clinically appropriate care and may involve one of our Clinical teams( ~GPs/Advanced Clinical Practitioners/Nursing Team/Pharmacy and Prescription Team/First Contact Physios/Mental Health Team/Home Visiting Team/Dietitians/Care Co-ordinators/Social Prescribers/Health and Wellbeing)
or give you an appointment later .... or an appointment same day, and will phone / txt / email you back within 24hrs to let you know , and if it's face to face, or phone / zoom.
phone system has just been changed ,new number etc (to allow them to call you back rather than having to wait in queue)
apparently , if you are an incorrigible luddite like me , a 'patient advisor' at reception will fill in the online form for me .
i was recently informed i no longer have a named doctor ,my hospital consultant /surgeon letters are currently being addressed to a doctor who doesn't even appear on the practices list of doctors , and 'physician associates' are 'trained to perform a number of roles including analysing test results' ..... personally i'm not feeling very safe , but we'll see ,, i preferred it when i knew who my 'named' doctor was even though we didn't get on , i did at least know who was looking at my test results and was about to phone me up to argue about my TSH .... now it feels like it could be 'anyone' , not even necessarily a doctor ... and my last 2 repeat prescriptions have been messed up , which has never happened before ,previously they were filled like clockwork.
My practice have been using an online form like this for months now. Sadly if it’s anything thyroid or remotely complex they’ll just give you the appointment that is the furthest away (3+ weeks) I presume in the hope you’ll get bored and go away in the meantime.
I have had some success by stating what I want in the form (eg face to face due to ‘whatever reason’)
If it’s for something simple like a medication switch or similar I just write in the form that I just want them to do that and I’d rather not have to bother to see/speak to a gp…they seem happy to oblige!
But overall filling in a form is more a pain in the bum and feels very ‘gate keepy’ and patronising in my experience!
It also leaves more room for error in my opinion. I was bounced back and forth between a pharmacist and gp 4 times earlier this year cos they were both saying it was the other responsibility. These online forms are just another way of denying/delaying care and drawing everything out more… in my experience.
My experience exactly. Case of Candida, can be seen immediately. An appointment in twenty minutes; ten of which it takes to get there - never mind get dressed etc.
Want to talk about hypothyroidism, lucky if you get an appointment in six weeks.
we use it at our surgery, although it’s configured to only allow you to get in touch during a surgery hours. I mostly go in via the surgery website rather than the nhs app. You get specific character counts for different sections of the forms and you make a decision early on as to whether it’s medical help, admin, request appointments, prescriptions etc. I generally find I write myself an email setting out what I want to say, then copy/paste relevant bits into the form sections. It helps me sort out my thoughts, I can specify my request is for a specific doctor. So much easier than phoning up and having to wait or negotiate with reception. You can get replies by phone or text. I’ve had appointments and also direct texts/messages from the doctor.
A really positive use, for example was in December when my doctor said to speak to reception (when he’d agreed to extend my eod b12 jab) to schedule my next nurse appointments. When I went to reception I got a message from the practice manager to say I couldn’t have any appointments. I tried to change that opinion (without success) and was told nothing would happen till Monday as it was about 4pm Friday. I got home, messaged the system urgently for my doctor and within 10 mins he’d texted me directly and sorted the mixup.
I've not heard the label but they description is very much what m GP surgery does.
I would say I 90% like the system and often get the help I need much faster than waiting for a face to face appointment. A lot of what I need can be handled immediately or via phone consultation.
The one problem I have is you don't know if your triage will result in s phone consultation so there is a chance you will miss that call if you don't have your phone with you for up to 48 hours. In the few cases I missed the call they don't call back and my issue gets dismissed. I have to resubmit the next day.
Once retired I gave up my mobile phone as don’t like having to have a conversation with for eg solicitor in the middle of Sainsbury’s…I’d feel even more so with a Dr.’s one…that is the drawback with phone-back type systems … you feel you have to wait around a phone, just in case, making even bathroom breaks difficult, or you try to live your life ( in my case daily swimming, which is probably a better contributor to my health than much the dr.can offer), and miss a call. Perhaps works best in a desk to desk situation ie when patient at work….!
The system is ok if you have a definite illness to describe but if you don’t know exactly what’s wrong or just want to discuss something with a doctor it is not helpful. It is not assessed by a doctor. I used it a few months ago and described my problem as ‘gynaecological’ and before I could get an appointment I was telephoned by a receptionist and I had to describe again exactly what was wrong. I don’t know what has happened to confidential consultations. For thyroid problems it is pretty useless as when on thyroxine they just check the dosage and won’t discuss. The system also closes after about 2 hours. If you are able to get an appointment there is no choice of time or doctor. I was once given an appointment to arrive in 10 minutes and I live 10 miles from the surgery. If an appointment comes through by text you have to respond whether you want the appointment with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. There is no opportunity to say ‘yes please but I cannot get to you at that time’. Good luck with this system. It is very stressful.
Yes it definitely highlights the ‘expert diagnostic thinking’ we employ our doctors to do. However it just confirms the total absence of it. If we do the diagnosis ourselves, great. Nowt coming from them, just utter abandonment.
Well before the accursed Accurx system, GPs have been doing an online 'assessment' of patients first and in my experience, it was a disaster. Instead of a digestive problem (from my self-diagnosis via a list of symptoms and then a phone 'consultation'), I was having stents inserted into my heart. Successive governments have deliberately set out to destroy the NHS and us, the victims, all in the cause of privatisation.
Yes, a system that relies on self diagnosis is a problem. My surgery used to have a sign up saying ‘one ailment one appointment’, so you had to decide yourself which bit ‘hurt’ ( or whatever) the most…so you could miss out the typical diagnosis symptom. Or when symptom one not any better almost go back with second on your list… time and time again. You also learn to dismiss the most disabilitating symptom as that becomes a red herring , previously examined/ referred to a specialist, as that seems to prompt the same wrong response, and rabbit hole!
Yes our surgery changed to this last year. Here is my experience so far. The form itself is ok to fill in, but it also closes after 8.30/9am now so I need to be up and complete it in the morning to get it seen by someone. Otherwise you wait another day. Generally get a response within the same day, so that part works. IF they decide I need to see a doctor it’s a telephone call and here’s where the system falls down, it will send you a time and you have no say in it. The time will be very wide so between 8-12. There is no way to get back in touch with the surgery to tell them if you can’t make it.
The second part that doesn’t work well is if you get triaged to a pharmacist instead of a doctor. This has happened twice to me and whilst the pharmacist is great and knowledgable, they had no idea how to change my meds for my current condition (tbh only an Endo would have known).
I have had to hack the system to communicate with them by repeating a request but saying I can’t make that time or date or that I need to see someone face to face. It’s wasted a lot of their time and mine. So all in, I’m not sure it’s any better and it’s certainly made it much harder to SEE a doctor in person.
On the plus side I don’t have to sit on hold for an hour and then get disconnected.
If our system is anything to go by there is still an 8am rush but this time online rather than the telephone. If you can get to the slot by 8am your in, go there at 8.15 and there is a message that it is closed and it remains closed for the rest of the day. One is left with no alternative but to phone 111 (and be told to go to A & E most of the time, or to go direct to A & E. if there is a medical problem that cannot wait. The system helps the doctors but not the patients.
My doctors has the same system but don't know what it's name is. It hasn't made anything any easier or reduced waiting times. It's even harder to see a doctor. The only good thing I have found with the whole system is that if you are required to have a test of some sort ( I.e. blood s or smear etc) they send a link that lasts for 7 days. You can then go on the link and book your own appointment at any of the surgeries in the same partnership ( a lot) not all local but sometimes worth travelling to get the time you want. That is the only benefit I have come across so far.
My surgery has been using this system since the beginning of Covid. The lead GP is very IT aware and was the instigator of patients having access to their records on line. The system opens at 7.30am and closes at 3pm unless all appointments are allocated and then it closes earlier.
I've used it lot, for my husband more than me. I find you have to be a bit savvy about how you describe things or you can't get to see a doctor. Cast some doubt in their minds 🤔 Unfortunately although it asks "Do you want this to go to anyone in particular?" and I put a specific GP, twice hubby has seen the GP Registrar (trainee) and it's been hard work getting anywhere with her.
I think the forms are vetted by a Physician Assistant which concerns me because they probably have less knowledge than me!
I do find that the "Patient Advisors" are more pleasant and helpful now they're not responsible for allocating appointments.
I've got concerns as well, people either exaggerating symptoms to get an appointment or underplaying something potentially serious. Tbh I tend to use Livi more often than my own surgery for something that cant wait. At least I can usually book a phone consultation with them. I've pretty much dismissed my surgery, except to provide repeat medications.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Memory Loss – Your Experiences?
Burdock Root
T3 out of stock in UK?
Any experiences of Dr Jean Haining? 
Being started on Liothyronine? ? Any experiences??
