Since the outbreak of Covid-19 we in general practice have had to adapt the way we work due to changes brought on by the pandemic. This has resulted in mostly telephone led clinics and the majority of patient queries have been dealt with over the telephone.
This has inevitably meant that our telephone lines are extremely busy and we are aware that getting through to the surgery can be difficult and time consuming.
One way for us to free up the telephone lines and decrease waiting times is to revert to no longer accepting prescription requests over the telephone. We are aware that allowing telephone requests has helped patients greatly over the last few months but it has also contributed to the congested lines.
As of the 1st September we will no longer accept prescriptions requests over the telephone unless in exceptional circumstances. We will be contacting all patients with a mobile telephone number recorded to invite you to sign up to our online services where you can re-order your repeat medication and request acute items online. You can still post/email your requests or order them through your local pharmacy.
We hope this will make it easier for patients to get through to the surgery to access other essential services.
Many thanks for your understanding during these difficult times.
On behalf of Dr Balliu & Partners, Leek Health Centre
