Papworth Surgery

New Booking System

Patient notice: Changing how we book GP appointments from 29th June 2026

We want to give our patients notice regarding changing our GP appointment booking system. We acknowledge as a practice that at present things aren't working well with booking routine appointments - sometimes the wait is over 6 weeks which is too long and this means things could become worse and urgent in the interim. Also we have noticed that longer waits lead to a higher rate of patients not attending appointments. We also know that using emergency appointments for long term issues means you are less likely to see the same doctor which interrupts continuity of care.

We have therefore decided to move to a total triage system. This means that all requests for appointments with a doctor, whether routine or urgent, will be reviewed by a doctor before being booked. This will enable us to book patients with the right member of the team in an appropriate time frame for your symptoms.

We will use the same triage system that is currently in place for on the day requests via the link on our website. If you are unable to use the website please call reception who can complete a triage form for you. The reception team will not be able to book a GP appointment unless a triage has been completed first. We want to reassure you that all the triage forms are reviewed by a doctor; not AI or admin staff. We encourage you to put as much information as you think is relevant to help the doctor make a good decision. If there is not enough information the doctor will ask you for more or may ask you to complete a questionnaire to help them make a good decision.

The system will not be capped and will be open for appointment requests until mid day, this will allow the duty doctor time to get back to you and to see unwell patients in the afternoon. However, you can still make routine and admin requests online during practice opening hours. You can also still contact us regarding urgent issues by the telephone or by coming into the surgery until we close at 6.30pm.

There may be extenuating circumstances where the triage needs to close earlier; for example, significant staff sickness or if we are closed for training and we will endeavour to communicate this clearly via the website if this is the case.

The outcome of the doctors triage may be an appointment with a doctor that is an urgent appointment today, within 3 working days or within 2 weeks. The doctor may also advise seeing an alternative medical professional based on your symptoms and this may be a pharmacist, physiotherapist, nurse or optician.

Our goal is to help our patients see the right clinician the first time in an appropriate time frame

We are grateful for your support and patience during this change.

Dr Kari Coulson, Dr Hannah Greenwood and Dr Clare Routledge
GP Partners at Papworth Surgery