We wish to share some exciting news about a significant change to our appointment system that will improve the way our surgery delivers care to all our patients.
From Thursday 15th January 2026 we will move away from a “first come, first served” approach to an online Total Triage model, based on clinical need and urgency. This means that all appointment requests will be assessed by a GP led triage team before any appointments are booked, ensuring that everyone receives the right care, at the right time, from the right person.
This is an online system, so we would strongly encourage all patients to submit their own appointment request via the surgery’s website. We appreciate that this may not be possible for some patients, so if you do not have access to the internet or a smartphone, you can phone us, or come into the surgery, and a receptionist will complete the form on your behalf. However, the process we will ask you to follow to request an appointment will be the same whether you contact us via our website, by phone or face to face.
Appointments with our Practice Nurses, Healthcare Assistants, Phlebotomist and Pharmacists are not affected by this change and will continue to be booked in the usual way.
How will it work?
When you visit our website to complete an appointment request, you will be asked a few questions so we can get an idea of what you need. You will also be asked how you would like to be contacted by us when responding to your request. In order for your request to be triaged in a timely manner it is very important that you provide detailed and accurate responses to the questions asked.
Our online system is accessible to everyone, with no need to download an app or log in. All you need is access to the internet and you can access the system from any device, including your smartphone or tablet.
Simply visit:
Rotherfield Surgery & The Brook Health Centre
An appointment request can then be submitted from 15th January 2026 by:-
- Clicking on the Appointments tab at the top of our Homepage
- Selecting the ‘Urgent appointments’ or ‘Routine appointments’ link
- Selecting ‘Health revew’
- Selecting ‘Health problem’
If you do not have access to the internet or a smartphone, please phone us or come into the surgery and a receptionist will complete the form on your behalf. If when visiting the surgery you would prefer to write your answers down rather than speaking at reception, we will enable you to do this.
All patient requests will then be reviewed by a GP led triage team, who will decide what the best course of action is and get back to you the same day. Possible outcomes could include:
A same day face to face or telephone appointment with a member of our clinical team
A pre-bookable (within 7 days or more than 7 days) face to face or telephone appointment with a member of our clinical team, or our Care Coordinator if you are on our cancer, palliative or carers register
A booking link for a Practice Nurse, Healthcare Assistant, Phlebotomist, Pharmacist or First Contact Practitioner appointment
A reply from the triage team with self-care advice
Signposting or referral to a more appropriate service, for example a local pharmacy
The Total Triage service will be open Monday to Friday. During the weekend or on bank holidays please continue to use the 111 service or call 999 for life threatening emergencies.
Please note, primary care has never been an emergency service – if a patient needs immediate medical attention, you should ring 111 or go direct to A&E.
How does this benefit you?
We know that change can be difficult, but we are confident that Total Triage will bring many benefits to our patients.
It has been shown to reduce waiting times and it will enable us to attend to our patients’ medical needs more promptly and based on clinical need and urgency
Using digital communication will mean that you can engage with us from the comfort of your home or workplace
It will address the increasing demand for appointments and reduce the frustration of having to call and be in a long queue at 8am
Please work with us to establish this new way of working. This new approach is fairer and ensures you are directed to the right service for your needs, without unnecessary delay.
We are committed to supporting patients and their families/carers to get used to this new way of contacting the practice and to becoming comfortable with this over time. If you have any questions or concerns our team is here to guide and support you and we will, of course, provide additional support to those patients who are struggling to use our online system.
Thank you for supporting us with this new project.
All these communications can be collected on paper from both our surgeries at The Brook and Rotherfield Surgeries.