We will be switching to Rapid Health from Monday 8th September 2025
New Online Appointment Booking System
We are introducing a new way for patients to access our services.
Rapid Health is an online facility that allows patients to book appointments or submit admin queries, without needing to phone the practice.
Patients (or their carers and authorised representatives) will be presented with a series of questions about their problem. Following this you will be provided with a choice of appointments with the most appropriate clinician(s), in the most appropriate timeframe, based on their clinical need and urgency. Rapid Health has been approved as a medical device by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and meets all of the NHS security and clinical safety standards.
This should result in shorter waiting times, especially for more urgent medical issues, and focusses on “getting it right first time” – seeing the most appropriate member of the team for your problem in the most appropriate time frame. It will also prevent the 8am rush and long waits on the telephones.
The new platform also allows patients to raise admin requests (such as sick/fit notes, doctors letters, and more) and find trusted self-care information for a wide range of symptoms and health conditions. This will replace our current platform.
Starting from 8th September, we ask that all medical requests for acute and follow-up appointments as well as all administrative queries, are submitted through Rapid Health, which will be accessible via our practice website. Some appointments will have unique arrangements, so will not be appropriate for Rapid Health. You will be able to see this list when you click on the Rapid Health banner on our website. If any of the circumstances in this list applies to you, please follow the alternative instructions provided to book your appointment.
If you are unable to use the website or have no access to a verified email address, please phone the surgery or attend in person. Our care navigator team will be able to assist you in arranging an appropriate appointment. Please note that they will be required to take details of your medical issue/concern to ensure that you receive the most appropriate care in the most appropriate time frame. Your request will then either be assessed by Rapid Health, or by our Duty Doctor and triage team. You will be informed of the outcome, whether it is the offer of an appointment with an appropriate clinician within an appropriate time frame, or signposting to a more appropriate service.
Rapid Health FAQs
What is Rapid Health?
Rapid health is a smart triage tool approved by the NHS which allows you to book appointments quickly and offers more patient choice and availability by offering you the right appointment with the right clinician first time. It has been approved as a medical device by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and meets all of the NHS security and clinical safety standards. Please watch this short video explainer – Rapid Health patient explainer video
How do I book an appointment?
You must be a registered patient with the practice, and have a valid verified e-mail address. The link to access Rapid Health will be posted on our website homepage in place of the current e-Consult banner. Please do not use any existing e-Consult links that you may have saved into your web browser, as these requests will not reach us.
What if I am unable to use online services, or do not have access to the internet or an email address?
We understand that not everyone can use online services, so please do not worry if this is the case. Our care navigators will still be available on the phone and in person to assist with your medical or admin query. Rapid Health will be used whether you go online, call us or visit one of our surgeries as this will ensure that the right information is captured consistently and an appropriate outcome is offered. If you don’t use the internet, our care navigators will fill in the form for you so that you still benefit from the system but with a helping hand. We hope that as more people choose to go online because it is quicker than queing on the phone line, we will have more time to spend with patients who need a little more support from us.
Can I use Rapid Health through my NHS App?
Not at the moment. However, this is currently in development so keep an eye out for further updates. Regrettably this is beyond our control but we will update you when this becomes available in the future.
Will I still be able to book appointments via Airmid and NHS App?
You won’t be able to book GP appointments through these apps anymore, however you will still be able to view your medical records and test results, and order repeat medication through them.
What do I do if I want to see a specific GP or other health care professional?
When you are booking an appointment, the clinicians (GP, Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Mental Health Practitioner) with available appointments will be shown and you will be able to select your preferred clinician.
What do I do if I want to pre-book an appointment?
After completing the Rapid Health questions an appointment will be offered within an appropriate timeframe. Currently Rapid Health will be able to offer you a choice of appointments up to 28 days in advance, if it is clinically appropriate for that time frame.
Will all Clinicians be on Rapid Health?
Depending on your presenting complaint you may be offered an appointment with one of our GPs, Registrar GPs, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, MSK Physiotherapist or Mental Health Practitioner. The system is designed to ensure that you are booked in with the most appropriate health care professional, in the most appropriate time frame.
Are all appointment types available to book via Rapid Health?
No, some appointments have unique arrangements, so we will not be using Rapid Health for these appointments e.g. nursing/HCA, long term condition reviews, medication reviews with the pharmacist team, BSL / language interpreter requirements, non-NHS private work, post-natal and baby checks, home visits. These appointments will be booked in the usual way by phoning the surgery, or in many cases they will already be booked in advance for you by our admin team (e.g. baby checks, nursing/HCA/pharmacy appointments).
You will see a list of these unique appointments when you click on the Rapid Health banner on the website – if any of these appointments apply to you, please do not use Rapid Health but phone the surgery or attend in person instead.
I require an interpreter for my appointments, what should I do?
If you need any additional support for your appointment, such as an interpreter, please do not use Rapid Health. Contact us directly by phone or in person, and we will make the necessary arrangements and appointment for you.
I am a University of Derby student, can I use Rapid Health? Can non-University patients book appointments at the Keddleston Road campus site?
University students that are registered with the practice may use Rapid Health to book appointments but please note that you will have to attend any face to face appointments that you book at the site where that appointment is – this may not always be at the University Keddleston Road campus site. If this is not convenient for you please phone the surgery to rearrange an appointment at the University Campus site.
If you are not a University of Derby student, please note that you will not be able to access the University Campus site on Keddleston Road as access is only permitted to registered University of Derby students. If you have selected an appointment in error at the University site, please phone the surgery to rearrange your appointment to either our Borrowash, Chaddesden or Oakwood sites.
Why have I been offered an appointment with this Clinician?
Patients will be offered an appointment with the most appropriate clinician based on their clinical need and clinical urgency.
I was not offered an appointment, what do I do?
In most cases an appointment will be offered with the most appropriate health care professional in the most appropriate time frame. If you have not received an appointment the system will inform our triage team, and your issue will be triaged by the duty doctor. This could be for a number of reasons e.g. no suitable appointments are showing as available within the system, or your query is best dealt with by another person or service. We aim to contact you within 48 hours (in most cases sooner) to arrange an appropriate outcome to your query. In all cases, if your symptoms or medical condition worsens whilst you are waiting to hear from us, you should contact us directly or in urgent emergencies contact 999 or NHS111.
My problem is personal, and I only want to tell a GP.
In order to enable us to ensure that you receive the most appropriate help for your problem in a timely manner, it is important that we have sufficient information to triage this. Not all problems are best dealt with by a GP, and this also ensures that appointments are offered appropriately and fairly to all our patients. All information you provide to us is treated confidentially and saved to your medical records. If you require our assistance when booking an appointment but want the reason to remain confidential, we will have tablets available at reception to use where a care navigator can assist you when needed. Every employee at the practice has undergone information governance training and adheres to our confidentially policy.
Is there anything I need to do?
Please make sure that we have your up-to-date email address as this is required to use the new system. You can do this by updating your contact details via the NHS app or Systmone Online, or directly via the practice website by completing the change of contact details form. You can also simply ask any member of our care navigator team to check and update your records.
And finally, why are we making this change?
We realise that access to appointments and call waiting times are increasingly challenging for many reasons – increasing patient demand, challenges with staff recruitment, increasing medical complexity of an ageing population and many other reasons.
Rapid Health is one part of the solution to help speed up access to appropriate appointments and free up the team to focus on delivering care. We also hope that it improves your continuity of care as you are able to select the clinician that has been dealing with your medical problem when booking your appointment.
We would like to thank all our patients in advance for bearing with us as we transition to the new system. All our team have been working very hard to setup this new system, but as with all new systems there will no doubt be some teething problems that we hope to be able to keep to a minimum. Thank you for your patience and support and we hope you will enjoy the benefits of the new system. We will be asking for your feedback over time, to help us evaluate the new system and to help us make any further necessary improvements to your patient journey.