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Signposting Services

As of the 20th September 2017, all Practices in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale will operate a system of triage for all same day requests for GP appointments.

It is not always necessary to see a GP. A nurse practitioner, practice nurse, health care assistant or practice pharmacist, or another service such as an Optician or Community Pharmacy, may be more appropriate and for this reason our receptionists have been trained to cover a more diverse role and will now be working in the practice as Care Navigators.

This is a role that is being introduced in ALL practices across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.

The purpose of this role is to advise patients and carers about the sources of help and advice which are most relevant to their problem.

Active signposting is NOT a clinical consultation and it is not to make a diagnosis or plan treatment.

This new approach is not about denying our patients an appointment but actually using signposting for precisely the opposite motive – to make it easier for patients who need to see a GP to get an appointment, while shortening the time it takes to connect patients with the most appropriate person or service.

To help you make the appointment, the Care Navigator will need to know a little about why you need an appointment and so will ask you some very brief questions. This is because the Care Navigators have a number of alternative types of appointments available to them, and they need to offer you the most appropriate appointment to deal with your problem. The most appropriate appointment may be with your GP for example, or perhaps with another member of the practice team.

Please click the link below for more information on the services that you may be signposted to: