A lot of work is taking place locally in mid and south Essex to make improvements to how people access primary care services from their local GP surgery and pharmacy, as well as from wider community services. This work supports the national NHS delivery plan for recovering access to primary care.
Our local campaign aims to raise awareness about the ways people living across mid and south Essex can get quicker, more efficient access to local NHS and community services.
From digital tools like the NHS App and online appointment booking platforms, through to using local self-referral services that don’t require booking through your GP surgery. This campaign is about helping residents to understand and start to benefit from these different ways they can get help for their health – often without needing to pick up the phone at all.
Use digital tools to access care
- The NHS App makes it much easier for patients to access their healthcare information and book services when it’s convenient for them. Patients can access their health records, find out test results, book appointments and order repeat prescriptions.
- Other online tools, such as the NHS website and local GP practice websites can help people manage their health and discover what services are local to them.
- Online consultation platforms – so patients can contact their practice without needing to come into the surgery or wait on the phone. All patients are triaged the same way, regardless of how they book their appointments. Local online consultation platforms include eConsult, Accurx and Patchs.
Refer yourself
- Residents can refer themselves to a range of healthcare and wellbeing services without needing an appointment at their GP surgery – from physiotherapy to podiatry to minor eye services to mental health support – these services are a direct route to care without having to see a GP first.
Find out more about the range of self-referral services available in mid and south Essex
Visit a pharmacy
- Pharmacists have the right clinical training to make sure patients get the help they need for minor illnesses, such as sore throats, tummy troubles, conjunctivitis, earache, and shingles.
- Pharmacists also offer blood pressure checks, vaccinations, contraceptive health, and wider health and wellbeing advice.
Find out more about services available at community pharmacies
See a wider team of experts at your GP surgery
More healthcare professionals are being recruited to work alongside GPs at local practices, delivering care and helping to reduce waiting times for appointments. Having access to a range of professionals means you will receive the most appropriate care as quickly as possible.
No, quite the opposite. By putting all of these measures in place, more patients can get the care they need without having to wait for an appointment with a GP specifically. And when more people access the care they need through these routes, it helps to free up GP appointments for those with more complex care needs.
In fact, more appointments are being delivered in our GP practices year on year – that’s with GPs and with the wider healthcare team working in our practices.
In October 2024, GP practices in mid and south Essex delivered over 723,000 appointments – There are around 1.2million people living in the mid and south Essex area, so that’s the equivalent of 60% of all residents having an appointment that month alone.
77% of those appointments were face-to-face with a healthcare professional.
GPs have been and always will be an essential part of general practice. By expanding general practice teams there are now more healthcare professionals who work alongside GPs, and who are supporting patients to access timely care based on their clinical needs.
That means that patients can be seen by a healthcare professional relevant to their clinical needs without having to wait for an appointment with the GP. This is part of the clinical triage process that takes place when patients contact the practice.
If you prefer to wait for a consultation with a GP, you’ll still be able to request one.
GP practices operate independently and may vary in how they use online systems. While the use of online booking is encouraged, there can be differences in how GP practices manage their appointment systems. For example, some may have appointments available via the NHS App, while others may not.
Some will require you to complete an online consultation (or online ‘triage’) ahead of offering an appointment, while others may not. This will all depend on how each individual practice chooses to manage their appointments. If you need help completing an online consultation form, please let your practice know and they will be able to help you.
If you have specific questions about the appointment booking system at your local GP practice, we recommend that you reach out to them directly.
We understand that online consultation tools aren’t suitable for everyone. That’s why GP practices continue to offer multiple ways to access care, including via telephone and in person at the practice.
Digital options are there to offer more choice and flexibility—not to replace other access routes. If you’d prefer to call or visit your GP practice, you can do so.
We’re working to ensure that everyone can access healthcare in a way that works for them, regardless of their age, technology access, or time commitments.
If you have specific questions about the appointment booking system at your local GP practice, please reach out to them directly.
We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from patients who appreciate that digital options fit around their busy lives. However, also know that for some people, having a face-to-face appointment is essential.
Many practices are introducing changes, like new telephone systems, digital contact options (for those who can use them) and online booking systems which are supporting patients to access care as well as helping to free up phone lines for patients that want to call in.
Our goal is to offer more choice so people can access care in a way that works best for them — whether that’s face-to-face, over the phone, or online. By giving those who can and want to use digital options the ability to do so, it helps free up phone lines and in-person appointments for those who need them most.
Video and telephone appointments are available to help patients access care quickly, but data for our local area shows that in October 2024 alone, almost 77% of the 723,000 appointments delivered were face-to-face, and many of these would have been booked via online consultation tools.
If you have specific questions about access at your local GP practice, we recommend reaching out to them directly, as each practice manages their own appointments differently.
Self-referral services are ones that you can refer yourself to without needing a GP appointment first.
Increasing the amount of self-referral services is an important part of NHS England’s plan for improving how people can access primary care services. With more self-referral services, GP time can be freed up to focus on delivering care to people with complex care needs.
There are a wide range of self-referral services available in mid and south Essex, including:
- Minor eye conditions
- Musculoskeletal services including physiotherapy
- Sexual health
- Podiatry
- Mental health – talking therapies
- Stopping Smoking services.
For the full range, please visit our page NHS self-referral services in mid and south Essex.
Pharmacy First can be used for:
- impetigo (aged 1 year and over)
- infected insect bites (aged 1 year and over)
- earache (aged 1 to 17 years)
- sore throat (aged 5 years and over)
- sinusitis (aged 12 years and over)
- urinary tract infections (UTIs) (women aged 16 to 64 years)
- shingles (aged 18 years and over).
Please note there are exclusion criteria for the above conditions linked to the ages these services are suitable for. Find out more about pharmacy services.
If you are not within these age ranges, a pharmacist can still offer advice and support decisions about self-care treatment with over-the-counter medicines, but you may need to see a GP for treatment.
If you go to a pharmacy with one of these conditions, the pharmacist will offer you advice, treatment or signpost you to the appropriate alternative healthcare service. They will also update your GP health record if you’ve received treatment via your pharmacy, but your information will not be shared with anyone else.
Essex Frontline can also be used to access a wide range of non-medical health and wellbeing services in your local community.
No, pharmacists are experts in medicines and are ideally placed in the community to provide support for minor illnesses and provide advice on medications.
Many pharmacies have individual consultation rooms giving you a confidential space to discuss your medication or condition if needed.
If patients come in with a condition that the pharmacist cannot help with, pharmacists have the training to be able to direct them to the most appropriate place to get care based on their needs.
Most community pharmacies across mid and south Essex have signed up to offer the expanded Pharmacy First services, which provide treatment and medicines for some conditions, without needing to see a GP. They will update your GP health record, so your surgery will be aware.
People will still be able to call or walk into their GP surgery and they will be triaged by a Care Navigator, just the same as if they contacted their GP via the NHS App, or via their practice website, or any other method.
For support with digital tools, there are a range of local groups that can help.
If you live in Essex:
Visit your nearest library to find out about local events to help you access online health services, or view the library events online.
For general digital support in Essex, Essex County Council offer a range of free courses across Essex.
Call the Digital Skills Helpline – 0800 987 4110. It’s free to call from any UK mobile or landline and is open to everyone.
If you live in Southend-On-Sea:
The South Essex Community Hub provides support to help you build confidence and skills to use a range of digital tools. Contact SECH on 01702 611199 Monday to Friday, 10 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm.
If you live in Thurrock:
Libraries in Thurrock offer a range of digital skills courses. Visit your nearest library to find out more.
Additionally:
Barclays Digital Wings can be used to help you grow digital skills.
Total Triage helps healthcare teams to get a full picture of a health issue by getting as much information as possible from patients before booking appointments.
Total Triage is a new approach to booking GP appointments, where all patient requests are screened before being directed to the right care.
This system helps us to prioritise the most urgent cases and makes sure that everyone gets the care they need in a timely manner. Some patients prefer the privacy this offers, as there is no need to explain your symptoms or health concerns over the phone or in person.
We understand that some health concerns require a face-to-face examination. Phone and online appointments are designed to make it quicker and easier to get advice or an initial assessment.
For many issues, healthcare professionals can provide safe, effective care without needing to see you in person. But if an examination is necessary, they will arrange a face-to-face appointment. This approach helps prioritise in-person slots for those who need them most, while also providing faster care for others.
All patients who contact their practice will be triaged by a Care Navigator, who will use their training, tools (which may include total triage tools) and other resources to help direct you to the right service.
This means they may ask you questions to help you get the care you need. Many patients prefer to have a video or phone consultation, as it means they may be seen more quickly.
Accessing healthcare services over the phone or online is also a benefit to some patients, meaning there is no time spent in the waiting room or needing to take time off work to visit their practice in person.
Having access to a range of professionals means you will receive the most appropriate care as quickly as possible. As more patients receive care from the wider team of healthcare professionals available it means GPs are freed up to provide care for patients with the most complex care needs.
The aim of bringing more healthcare professionals into GP practices is to give patients quicker access to the right care. These professionals, such as clinical pharmacists, advanced nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, mental health practitioners, and paramedics, are experts in their fields and can provide healthcare advice and treatment for specific conditions where appropriate.
This means GPs have more time to focus on patients with more complex needs. Importantly, if you need to see a GP, you will still be able to do so. This approach increases the overall capacity of GP practices and helps everyone get the care they need more efficiently.