We are now a little over a month since the introduction of our total triage system, Rapid Health. It has been a busy time for us here at Haydock and Old Whint Road as we too are on a learning curve.
We truly appreciate the feedback and input from you, our patients, and have taken it on board as we work hard to make ongoing improvements. We want to share some important information that will help both our patients and our team.
Since March, we merged the patient lists from Haydock and Old Whint Road into one combined list. Shortly after, we launched Rapid Health and consolidated our phone lines into a single point of contact. These changes give you more flexibility and choice when booking appointments.
When using Rapid Health, please remember you can select which site you would prefer for your appointment. Your appointment confirmation will clearly state the location, so please double-check this to ensure you attend the correct practice. If you book your appointment in person, please also confirm the site where your appointment will take place
When we introduced Rapid Health, we made it clear that no existing ways to access care would be removed. You now have an additional option to reach us online, but you can still call the practice or visit us in person if you prefer.
Whichever way you choose to contact us, the process remains the same: you will complete a form that helps triage your needs, tells you who you need to see, and within what timeframe. You can then book your appointment.
The only difference is that if you don’t complete this form online yourself, a member of our team will assist you with it.
If you prefer to call in but feel uncomfortable discussing personal matters at Reception, we’ve created a more private space where one of our team members can support you in completing the form away from the main area. We understand it can get busy, and we want you to feel comfortable answering the questions openly and honestly so we can direct you to the right clinician.
It’s very important that we have your up-to-date contact details. If you change your phone number or address, please let us know—either in person or online via Rapid Health
Your GP practice – enter patient details for admin request
If we don’t have your email address on file, we may contact you to request it, as we are working hard to keep our records up to date. Having accurate details helps us process your requests quickly and without delay.
The fastest way to avoid waiting on the phone or queuing at the practice is to use Rapid Health online. We understand that not everyone has online access, and we are here to support you if needed. However, if you are able to use the online system, please do so, as this will help free up time for those who can’t.
We have had our first view of data from Rapid Health for the month of July 2025 – please remember that the system only launched on 8th July so this information relates to the remainder of the month. We hope you find this useful.
Rapid Health – July 2025 Overview
Types of Requests
In July, our GP surgery received a total of:
Appointments by Status
Common Medical Reasons
Most frequent concerns included: skin problems (with and without rash), musculoskeletal issues, mental health, women’s health & contraception, abdominal problems, and ear/nose/throat issues.
Timing
Most requests came in early morning and Monday was the busiest day
When medical requests were seen
• Same day – 19%
• Next day – 39% within 48 hours
• Within 3–7 days – 18%
The remaining 24% were seen within 2 weeks.
Patient Age Range
We saw patients across all age groups, but the largest numbers were aged 21–30 and 31–40.
What this means for you
Our team is handling a high volume of requests efficiently, with many issues resolved quickly online. Using the online service early in the morning helps you get seen sooner.
Helping us to Help You
Unfortunately, 1% of our booked appointments resulted in no-shows. This means that 1% of our valuable appointment capacity has been wasted when patients don’t cancel if they can no longer attend. Some appointments can be as long as 50 minutes, so unused time has a real impact on our ability to care for others who need it.
Please help us by cancelling your appointment if you no longer require it—this allows us to offer that time to another patient in need.
If you are able to use our online services then please do. It’s quicker for you and frees up time for the team to support patients who cannot access online services.
Home Visit Requests
Home visits must be requested by telephone. Please call the surgery and speak to a receptionist who will take your details and complete a home visit request form. These requests are then triaged by the on-call doctor.
You may receive a follow-up call for more information, so please make sure we have your correct contact details.
For urgent/same-day home visit requests, we kindly ask that you call as early as possible, preferably before 10am, to allow sufficient time for triage.
We are also supported by a community frailty team, the urgent community response team, and the local acute visiting service. Depending on your needs, you may be seen by one of these teams.
Please ensure that you only access our home visit service if you are unable to leave your home and simply cannot get into the practice. Home visits take a huge amount of our capacity and we really must protect this time for patients who genuinely need us to get to them. If you don’t need a home visit, then please attend the practice for your appointments.