No more waiting on hold: introducing Emma, your new way to reach us
We all know how it goes. It’s 8am. You’re trying to get through to the surgery. You’re hitting redial, waiting on hold, and meanwhile the school run is calling, or you’re already late for work. By the time you get through, you’re frazzled — and so is the person on the other end. Our reception team works incredibly hard. But they’re managing the phones, the front desk, appointments and admin, all at the same time. And the honest truth is that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day for every call to be answered the moment it comes in. That’s why we’re doing something about it. Meet Emma, when you call us, you’ll be greeted by Emma — our new AI phone assistant. Emma picks up straight away. No queue. No hold music. You just tell her why you’re calling, and she takes it from there. Emma will ask a few simple questions to make sure she has everything the surgery needs. Then your details go straight to the right person here — a Clinician or a receptionist — who reviews your request and gets back to you. Because they already have all the information in front of them, things tend to move faster. What Emma can help with • Booking or changing appointments • Prescription queries • Sick notes and medical letters • General queries about the practice • Directing you to the right service or team You can speak to Emma by phone, or use her on our website. And if English isn’t your first language, just start speaking in yours — Emma will do her best to respond. She might point you somewhere else — and that’s a good thing For some requests, Emma may suggest another service — such as Pharmacy First or the NHS App — where you might get help more quickly. It’s always your choice whether to take that suggestion up. And before she recommends anything, Emma will ask a few questions to make sure it’s genuinely suitable for you. None of this happens by Accident — it’s all been agreed with the surgery. A few things worth knowing Emma doesn’t make clinical decisions. She doesn’t diagnose, and she doesn’t decide who gets an appointment. All of that remains with our clinical team, following NHS guidelines, exactly as it always has. If anything sounds urgent, or Emma isn’t sure how to help, she’ll put you straight through to a person. You can also ask to speak to a member of our team at any point, and she’ll connect you. You don’t need to be particularly tech-savvy to use Emma. You just pick up the phone and speak, the same as you always have. Why we’re doing this This isn’t about replacing our team or cutting corners. Our reception staff are still here, doing what they do best. Emma is here so they can focus on the patients who need a bit more time and support, rather than spending the morning managing a call queue. We’ve introduced Emma because we want you to be able to get through to us when you need to. That’s it. Watch our short video to see how Emma works: Meet EMMA - Your GP Practice's Virtual Receptionist (S) If you have any questions or want to share your experience of using Emma, please speak to our reception team
Try the NHS App
You can now use the NHS App, a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services and your GP account on your smartphone or tablet.
You can use the NHS App to check your symptoms and get instant advice, order repeat prescriptions, view your GP medical record and more.
If you already use online access you can continue to use it. You can use the NHS App as well.
For more information go to www.nhs.uk/nhs-app
Our staff are working hard to help you. When you contact the practice please #BeKind
You and your general practice
You and your general practice is a national guide on what you can expect from your GP surgery. It also explains what you can do to get the best from the NHS.
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