Dear Patients,

Following feedback from both patients and staff, we have been reviewing how we work at the surgery. We understand that many patients find it difficult to get through on the phone in the mornings to request a doctor call-back, and that it can be frustrating when our call lists are already full.

Demand for GP services is currently at an all-time high. Across the country, GPs are providing around 200,000 consultations every week — the equivalent of half the population consulting their GP every five weeks. You may also have seen recent reports about the ongoing discussions between the BMA (the doctors’ union) and the Department of Health regarding increased funding for general practice. While an additional £1 million has been offered nationally to support access, this only equates to around 50p per patient. For Willowfield, that means about £2,000 — which unfortunately is not enough to significantly increase the number of consultations we can offer.

Our staff continue to work extremely hard to provide the best service possible in challenging circumstances.

To improve how we work and continue to deliver safe and efficient care, we are introducing a few changes. Our main aims are to:

1. Make our administration team more available when you need them.
2. Provide additional opportunities to request a doctor call-back.
3. Facilitate safe and efficient processing of administrative requests e.g. prescriptions.

1. Administration team availability

From Monday 24th November 2025, our phone lines will be open from 8:30am–12:00pm and 2:00pm–5:30pm.

Between 12:00pm–2:00pm and 5:30pm–6:00pm, the lines will be closed so that the reception team can complete essential administrative tasks. This will allow them to focus fully on your calls during open hours.

When lines are closed, a recorded message will direct you to where you can access urgent medical help if needed.

2. Additional doctor call-back times

From Monday 24th November 2025, patients will be able to request a doctor call-back at both 8:30am and 2:00pm.

We hope this gives greater flexibility for those with different schedules, such as parents on the school run or patients working shifts.

Our reception staff are trained to ask for brief details about your concern so they can prioritise your care appropriately, signpost you to other suitable services (such as community pharmacies), and recognise urgent “red flag” symptoms.

If our call lists are full, we will kindly ask you to call again at the next triage time (e.g., 2:00pm). If you need urgent medical attention before then, our team will ensure a GP reviews your case promptly.

3. Ensuring safe and efficient administration processing

Having protected time between 12:00pm–2:00pm and 5:30pm–6:00pm will allow our staff to complete their administrative work safely and accurately, helping to prevent errors in prescription processing and other key tasks.

In summary

We are committed to providing a safe, efficient, and high-quality service despite increasing demand and limited funding. While our phone lines will be closed for short periods during the day, this change is designed to make our reception staff more available when you call.

Our overall consultation capacity remains the same, but we are introducing an additional triage session at 2:00pm to improve access to GP call-backs.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support as we work to make our services better for you.

The Willowfield Surgery Team