NHS Mid and South Essex ICB welcomes the government’s new GP pay deal, which from October 2025 will see new features added for online consultation as surgeries continue to move to ‘total triage’. The new system aims to improve the 8am rush for a GP appointment.
The shift to total triage and online consultation has already started across mid and south Essex with a majority of surgeries now offering this service. Many practices believe it has revolutionised the way they work, making the process of getting a patient in front of the right healthcare team much more efficient.
Total triage is a new approach to booking GP appointments, where all patient requests are screened before being directed to the right care. It 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 aims to prioritise the most urgent cases and makes sure that everyone gets the care they need in a timely manner. It also helps GP surgeries to make the best use of healthcare resources, reduce unnecessary visits, and maintain safety for both patients and staff.
Total triage has transformed the traditional doctor’s surgery – it’s been a game changer! Patients can contact their GP practice online – usually at a more convenient time for them – and provide a few details about their health concern. The information is captured in the online consultation form, which would be the same for any forms completed by care navigators who are gathering information from patients who telephone or visit the practice. All the forms are reviewed by a triaging GP or other senior health professional to ensure patients get to see the most appropriate healthcare professional based on their clinical needs. No matter how patients contact the practice, these total triage tools are invaluable to helping patients get the right care first time, and all the patient’s data is treated with the strictest confidentiality. In most cases, patients just need to change the way they seek help. We are asking people, if they can, to contact their practice online via their surgery's website or via the NHS App. This really helps our practices to give appointments to people as quickly as possible. But we understand not everyone has access to these services, so we will still be available by phone or in-person. Someone who comes into the surgery for support or makes a call over the phone, will be treated in the same way as a patient requesting help via a digital device.
Total triage is just one of the tools that is bringing about positive change to primary care services.
I recently used my GP practice’s online triage service to secure an appointment with the senior nurse for my two-year old daughter, who was experiencing respiratory problems. My experience was first class. The website was easy to use. Then I was provided with an appointment on the same day. The senior nurse did a thorough examination of her symptoms. The impact on me was very positive. From the moment of that consult, I knew my daughter’s symptoms were not serious and she did not need any further intervention. This service has improved my experience with the healthcare system. Before the digital booking service was introduced the process to secure an appointment was frustrating and involved being on hold for a long time. Now I know that help is quicker and easier to access.
Alison Clews, 44, Essex
For further information about total triage, visit: www.midandsouthessex.ics.nhs.uk/getcarequicker.