NHS bosses praise surgery's digital triage system

Brookside surgery in Earley is transforming care using digital platforms

NHS staff have been having their say on what they want to see from the government's 10 year health plan.

Senior NHS figures visited Brookside Group Practice Surgery in Earley, Berkshire, where the team has been transforming patient care through a range of digital improvements.

The award-winning work includes a new digital triage system which doctors say means patients get "the right care, at the right time, in the right place".

Senior Partner at Brookside Surgery, Dr Amit Sharma said: "No one will be left behind because we are digitalising the system."

Dr Amit Sharma says going digital doesn't mean anyone will be left behind

Dr Sharma explained the team have been able to support patients and transform their care: "We've got this digital triage platform which enables you to get access to the right clinician at the right time.

"It means patients can tell their story once and then experience the right type of care and get support they need."

He said: "If you are a walk-in, we do telephone calls rather than the online option and it all goes on the same triage dashboard.

"It means everybody gets a fair shot, according to needs, as opposed to perhaps who shouts the loudest."

"We need to scale this type of approach across practices, but also other specialties within the Royal Berkshire, there's lots more work to do," he added.

NHS England's Bola Owolabi says there is an appetite to do things differently

Bola Owolabi, NHS England Director for the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, said: "It's wonderful to be able to see the transformational work that people are doing here."

She explained that "the change we need to see through the 10 year health plan is only going to be a real change if it's shaped by the true voices of the people who work at the front line of the NHS".

Most of the conversation has been about the movement from analogue to digital.

Ms Owolabi said: "It's really about how do we take the learning from places like here and spread the scale across the country."

"I think we can demonstrate to people that actually using digital will reduce the workload pressure and enable us to deliver that excellent quality of care," she added.

Patient Grant says he has seen an improvement in care

Grant, a patient who has been living in Earley for about six years said: "The level of care provided at the practice has definitely improved."

He said: "When you are unwell, you don't want to be waiting three days to see somebody.

"The service is definitely more digital, and I think that's moving in the right direction."