Rapid Health

In January 2026, all three GP Practices introduced a new online triage system for requesting GP appointments. This system was called Rapid Health Triage and it was hoped this would make it easier and more flexible for patients to access care and help practices manage increasing demand.

Following a period of use and review, it became clear that the system was difficult for many patients to navigate. Patients were often required to follow lengthy pathways and answer a large number of questions before being able to submit their request. This created frustration and made the process unnecessarily complicated for some users.

We also found that the triage mapping was not always fully accurate. In a significant number of cases, patients were redirected to Accident & Emergency services when this was not necessarily appropriate. In addition, when the information was received by the GP practice, the presenting problem was not always clearly communicated, which made it difficult for clinicians to fully understand the patient’s concerns from the submitted information alone.

Another concern was that the system was not particularly suitable for patients with ongoing or chronic medical conditions, where continuity, context, and direct communication are often important.

For these reasons, the difficult decision was made to stop using Rapid Triage and to revert to our previous triage systems.

Thank you for your patience whilst we assessed the new system and please be assured that we will continue to explore ways to improve patient access and communication.