Glemsford Patient Engagement Event – 29 July 2025 SUMMARY

Summary of event and actions taken

At 6.30pm on Tuesday, 29 July 2025 at Glemsford Village Hall, an engagement event was held to listen to patients’ concerns about getting an appointment at the surgery and the booking system Anima. 140 members of the public attended the event who had the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

Who was the panel representing the surgery made up of?

The panel to answer the queries included the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust’s (WSFT) executive medical director, head of patient experience and engagement, the surgery’s practice managers and GP partners.

What themes were raised at the event?

The main themes raised were:

• a lack of appointments
• being unable to book appointments in the future
• concerns about a lack of staff
• the user-friendliness and accessibility of the Anima system
• various preferences of appointment styles (for example, face-to-face or telephone)

The surgery and WSFT are going to make some changes from these themes and communicate with patients when this will be implemented.

Why has it taken so long to put a communication out and make changes?

We needed time to collate and analyse the feedback received and consider the options for implementing changes to the appointment booking system which work for both patients and the surgery.  We have also been working hard, with support from Anima, to make the necessary changes to the booking system based on the feedback received.

What changes are you making to the appointments?

The ‘only on the day’ booking option will be removed from Anima and you will not have to use this system to book an appointment.

Urgent / on the day requirements will be done by telephone: this will require our reception team to ask about your symptoms to ensure you are seen by the right clinician. They are not trying to stop you getting an appointment, they are just trying to ensure patients are seen based on urgency.

Routine appointments can be booked either via Anima or calling: if calling, please avoid the urgent call rush between 8am and 9am. There will only be appointments to book up to four weeks in advance, otherwise patients will be added to a waitlist, or they can call back later.

Anima can also be used like eConsult, so it can be used for admin queries or sending pictures (for example, of a mole or rash.

These changes will take effect from Monday, 8 September 2025.

Do I need to sign up to Anima like before?

Previously, patients needed an Anima account to submit requests. We’ve now removed that requirement to offer more flexibility, especially for patients who move practices or update their details.

Now, patients simply use their practice’s dedicated Anima link. They enter their details at the start of the form, and Anima automatically matches their request to their record. No account needed.

What are you going to do about the lack of appointments?

We are constantly looking at the GP daily rotas to see how we can  offer more on the day appointments while maintaining safe practice.

If there are no appointments left, we do apologise. We recommend patients wait till 6:30pm and call 111 to book an appointment with GP+, or call the next day. If patients require urgent care, please take yourself to the nearest A&E department.