Jesmond Health Partnership (JHP) on Osborne Road says it is the first and only GP in Newcastle to adopt a “digital first” approach to appointments with a booking app that allows patients to be seen much more quickly.

The system, called Salvie/askmyGP, has slashed patient waiting times for contact with a healthcare professional at JHP from two weeks to three hours.

JHP is reporting patient satisfaction rates of 95%. GP and practice partner Ben Davies said: “I don’t think at this point in time we would have any intention of going back to the old way of working. Broadly speaking, patients are very happy with the service that we offer.”

Salvie takes patients through some initial questions and then allows them to select whether they would like to be contacted via the phone, email or if they would prefer an in-person appointment. JHP asks its patients to contact the practice through Salvie but still offers the traditional option of phoning the surgery to book an appointment.

The practice says around 50% of patients using the service would rather have their problem resolved through the app, 35% preferring a telephone appointment and 15% organising an in-person appointment.

Lisa Kent has been registered with the practice for a month. “I’ve definitely found this easier than having to go in face to face every time,” she said. “I struggle with remembering everything to say at a face to face or phone appointment, so I like being able to take my time in writing a response.”

Colleen Hindle joined JHP last year but has yet to use the Salvie system. “The phone is answered reasonably quickly, by the receptionist, but maybe a short wait, or a return call, if they are busy,” she said. “I had to wait a few months in the beginning [January 2021] for the pharmacists to contact me to discuss my medication, but now it isn’t a problem.”

Dealing with patients’ problems with a “digital first” approach is not about “denying people access to healthcare”, but rather “enabling them to access healthcare as effectively as possible”, said Davies.

“I think it’s more about constantly assessing how patients access practices,” said JHP practice manager Vicky Watson, “and how to make sure that people can get on the phones when they need to and those who maybe don’t need to use the phone and are more digitally savvy, can use the Salvie system.”

However, JHP says it doesn’t believe the system is the key to fixing the current nationwide strain on GPs. “We certainly wouldn’t suggest that this would work for all patient populations,” said Davies. “The key message is we are all trying to do a challenging job in challenging circumstances, and we do that mostly well in collaboration with our patients.”