In the West Midlands, GP practices are improving patient access and increasing appointments by embracing technology.

Rea Valley Health Partnership is a practice with three sites in South Birmingham and approximately 16,000 patients.

The practice installed a Total Triage software system in June 2025 to improve access to care, optimize resources, and ensure patients see the right person at the right time, whether that’s a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional.

According to a recent Patient Satisfaction Survey at the Kings Norton Surgery, part of the Rea Valley Health Partnership, 70% find it easy to get through to this GP practice by phone and 85% describe their overall experience of this GP practice as good. Among patients at Keynell Covert Surgery — another practice in the partnership — 83% find it easy to get through to this GP practice by phone and  70% find it easy to contact this GP practice using the NHS App.

Using a cloud-based software for its digital callback system, patients who phone the practice are first informed that the surgery has adopted a digital triage system that steers patient to an online consultation form.  If they choose not to complete that form and remain on the line, the patient is then notified of their exact place in the queue and offered the option to have the surgery call them back instead of waiting.

If they call about blood results or other test results, it directs them to call back after 10am. Those seeking repeat prescriptions are encouraged to use the NHS App or the surgery’s online form, with the exception being those who are in pallative or end of life care.

The NHS App is now the number one way that patients order repeat prescriptions from the partnership’s practices, and this is also the most used NHS App feature in the Midlands. The NHS App feature has been a great service in shifting patients’ phone requests—heaviest in the Friday to Monday period–to an online system that fulfils their prescription requests.

Dr Rajiv Kalia, Associate Medical Director for Primary Care and PCNs, NHS England (Midlands), said: “Patients at a recent Patient Participation Group at my practice, Rea Valley Health Partnership, all agreed that accessing the practice by phone has never been easier and the wait time for their call to be answered has reduced significantly.

“After implementing a new telephony system and Total Triage, patient average telephone wait time has dropped from 48 mins to 6 mins, over a 3-month period this year.”