Almondsbury Surgery / Hanham Health

Update on changes to access and appointments

ANIMA IS NOW LIVE – 16/8/2023

The way in which we book appointments and manage patient requests has now changed.

Patients are encouraged to use our new online system, Anima, which can be accessed by visiting http://patients.animahealth.com/ or via our website.

Patients can access the system by using their NHS Login, which many patients will already have if you use the NHS app, or the NHS Covid app previously.

If you do not have an NHS login you can get one here: https://www.nhsapp.service.nhs.uk/login, or register on the Anima Health website.

By accessing our services online, you can avoid queuing on the telephone and can submit your request confidentially.

Patients who would prefer to use the telephone can continue to do so, though please be advised that the Receptionist will not be able to book a GP appointment for you directly.  In order to prioritise appointments, the Receptionist will ask you a series of structured questions about your request.  Answers to these questions are passed to our Clinical Assessment Team who will then determine the most appropriate appointment or course of action.

Please note that patients should NOT come to the Surgery to book an appointment in person from Wednesday 16th August as we may be unable to do so due to confidentiality.

Patients should go online or telephone the Surgery, though please note the phone lines are very busy.

We will be introducing devices in Reception to allow patients to submit requests themselves but unfortunately this feature is not yet available.

These changes are in line with national NHS requirements and will allow us to prioritise patients with more urgent clinical needs and improve the use of our precious resources, amongst other things.

We know that system changes can be unsettling for patients and we may experience some teething troubles so we are grateful for your patience and understanding during this period.  We are confident that this will ultimately deliver a better service for all patients.

Published: Aug 16, 2023