Healthwatch Lincolnshire have recently surveyed patients about their experiences when contacting GP surgeries.

One of the issues raised by patients in this survey was the uncertainty about when a clinician will call the patient back when a telephone appointment has been made.

It seems obvious to practice clinicians and staff that virtual appointments cannot be made for specific times, but this is not how patients perceive the service.

It is thus important that we communicate to patients what your practice policy is regarding virtual appointments.

The LMC advises that practices should develop a “Call-Back Policy” so that all practice staff understand what they should be telling patients when arranging virtual appointments.

This policy should include a script for administrators to use when booking virtual appointments and should also have messaging for websites and social media so that the policy can be advertised to patients.

The LMC has created a generic Policy which practices can adapt and use.