Rapid Health FAQs

Rapid health is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven triage tool approved by the NHS. It allows the patient to either make an administrative request, book an appointment, or receive self-help information.

When you click on the Rapid Health button on our website it will offer the following options:

• Medical Request
• Admin Request
• Self-help information

Clicking on the Medical Request button will take you to a questionnaire to complete. This is then triaged, following which a suitable appointment will be offered if required.

From the 13th May 2025, we will be using Rapid Health as our new Patient Access System.

We have listened to patient feedback and recognise that access to appointments, including booking online, is important to you.  The Government has also recently announced that they want to “end the 8am scramble,” and have mandated General Practice to introduce a new online booking system. With the ever-growing demand within the NHS, we are continuously looking at ways we can improve the booking process and increase capacity. To achieve this, and ensure patients are receiving the best possible care, we have opted to use the Rapid Health triage tool which will allow us to maximise availability, and ensure patients are seeing the right clinician in the appropriate time frame.

The form collects essential information to help the surgery understand your condition better and prioritise urgent cases. This ensures you receive the correct care and are matched with the appropriate clinician for your needs. By completing the form, this means the clinician will have the relevant information prior to your appointment, enabling them to have more time to provide quality care to you. All patients will be asked to answer questions using the online form or via the Reception Team when booking their appointment. Your answers help the system to decide the most appropriate outcome for your query, which may not be a GP appointment. The outcomes will be:
An appointment with a GP
Physiotherapist
Emergency Care Practitioner (Paramedic) or
Mental Health Worker.
You will be able to book this online straightaway if suitable. By completing the form, this means the clinician will have the relevant information prior to your appointment, enabling them to have more time to provide quality care to you. All other requests will be by a GP who will decide if an appointment is required or whether an alternative option is more suitable (e.g. prescription, or being directed to the community pharmacy).

The Government have decided that they want to “end the 8am scramble,” and have mandated us to use online booking systems. We do also believe that Rapid Health will improve the booking experience and make best use of the appointments available.

All current appointments will remain as scheduled and do not need to be rebooked.

Every patient needs to provide an email address to the surgery so that you can book an appointment using the Rapid Health appointment system. You can check and update your email address using the NHS app. If you are struggling to do on the app, you can submit to us online at: accurx.nhs.uk/patient-initiated/c82061/questions

The planned launch date for Rapid Health is the 13th May 2025 and the new online form can be found on our practice website. Once launched, the reception team will also be able to send you a text message with the web link.

To book an appointment, complete the online form with details about your symptoms, medical history, and any concerns you might have. Based on the information provided, the system will either book an appointment for you or direct you to the next steps. Once the system is live, this will take you to the Rapid Health questionnaire. We understand however, that not everyone can manage to do this online. If this is the case, please ring Reception and one of our team will take you through the questionnaire and submit it on your behalf. Your request will by dealt in exactly the same way as anyone filling it out online – everyone who requests an appointment will need to have a form completed.  If you are unable to use the online form, you can contact Reception who will go through the online form with you over the telephone. Please be aware if you choose the option for a receptionist to fill the template in for you it will take longer than you doing it online yourself and your queue time on the phone may be longer. We wouldn’t recommend completing the form with a receptionist in person at the surgery as some of the questions can be sensitive and we don’t have the facility to offer a private space to complete this.

GPs, Emergency Care Practitioners (Paramedics), Mental Health Workers and Physiotherapists. You can also book follow up appointments.

After completing the Rapid Health questions an appointment will be offered within an appropriate time frame. If, after completion of the form, an appointment is required then all our appointments both on the day and days or weeks ahead will be available on the system.

We will not be using the Rapid Health System for the following appointments which can still be booked by contacting Reception.
Blood tests.
Practice Nurse appointments (e.g. cervical screening, vaccinations and injections).
Annual reviews with a Clinical Pharmacist or Nurse (e.g. Diabetes, Hypertension, Respiratory, Cardiac).
Medication reviews with a Clinical Pharmacist.
Post natal appointments and 6-week baby checks.
NHS Health Checks.
Home visits.
Extended access appointments offered at Centre Surgery (Hinckley) or Newbold Verdon.
Palliative care patients reviews.

You will need to complete a Rapid Health questionnaire – all requests for appointments for under 16s will be reviewed by the Duty Doctor who will make sure appointments are offered in a timely way.

Yes, you can book an appointment for someone else, such as a family member, provided you have their consent and the necessary details to complete the form accurately. If the person is not registered with our practice, the system will not allow you to proceed.

Rapid Health triages the requests to decide when an appointment is required which may mean waiting a few days for an appointment. If the system determines that an appointment is required, you will be able to see all the available options and book an appointment straightaway.

You will need to submit an online form for EACH problem that you would like to discuss. Each problem will be triaged on an individual basis and you may end up seeing different clinicians at different times.

Patients will be offered an appointment with the most appropriate clinician for the problem described.  This may include Physiotherapists, Emergence Care Practitioners, Mental Health Workers or being signposted to another service such as a Pharmacy.

If your condition worsens while waiting for an appointment, contact the practice immediately. In urgent cases, you may need to seek care from NHS 111, an urgent care centre, or A&E.

Once you have completed our triage questionnaire, the system will decide if an appointment is required, and the most appropriate time frame for the appointment. If you have not received the option of an appointment, it means that your request has been passed to the Duty Doctor to review who will decide if an appointment is required, or if an alternative option is more suitable (e.g. prescription, or being directed to the community pharmacy). A staff member will be in contact within 48 hours with the doctor’s decision.

Currently, Rapid Health is only available in English, but future updates may include support for other languages.

Rapid Health is compatible with all devices, including mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and computers.

The Rapid Health system will be available from 7:30am each working day (Monday to Friday except on bank holidays) and will be switched off when we reach the safe working capacity for the surgery.  The system will become available again from 7:30am the next working day.

For urgent assistance outside of these hours contact NHS 111, attend a Walk-in Centre or visit the nearest A&E department. The Rapid Health system is designed for non-urgent issues and may not be able to provide immediate help in emergency situations. If the system has been turned off, it means that we are now full for today. If you feel able to wait, you will be able to access Rapid Health the next working day from 7.30am. If you feel you are unable to wait, please contact NHS 111 attend a Walk-in Centre or visit the nearest A&E department.

If you miss your appointment, then this will not automatically be rebooked. Please contact Reception who will advise if you need to resubmit an online form or if the appointment can be rearranged without having to do this.

The clinician you see will book your follow up appointment if this is indicated.

If your clinician or the practice has asked you to book a follow-up appointment, please complete a medical request form. Include the symptoms related to your ongoing condition, and in the “Your Reason For Coming” section, select “You told me to book a follow-up appointment.”In most cases, the clinician will book your follow up appointment if required.

If you need to cancel or change your appointment after completing the form, you can either use the link in the confirmation email to update or cancel your booking, or call the practice directly.If you cancel because of a mistake on your form but still need an appointment, you can submit a new request to schedule the correct appointment.Please remember to cancel any appointments you no longer need so they can be offered to another patient.

If you know you need an interpreter, please call the surgery when you have booked your appointment to arrange this.

Your request details and answers are never stored on the computer, tablet, phone or shared via email. Once you submit your answers, only the practice can view them. The next person using the computer will not be able to go back and see any of the information you entered.

Your answers submitted through Rapid Health are completely confidential and will only be seen by authorised staff at the GP practice. This includes healthcare professionals such as GPs, nurses, or other clinicians involved in your care, as well as administrative staff who may need to process your request. The practice follows strict confidentiality protocols to ensure your personal and medical information is protected at all times.

Yes, please continue to use the NHS app, SystmOnline or drop off your “repeat list” to the surgery.

You will still be able to use the NHS app to access medical records, test results and prescriptions but you will not be able to use it to book appointments.

If you know you need an interpreter, please call the surgery when you have booked your appointment to arrange this.

In order for the system to direct you to the correct clinician in the correct timeframe you do need to give certain information on the form. This is saved directly on to your medical record but goes no further. If you need help navigating the questionnaire or our website, you can speak confidentially to one of our Reception team at the surgery who can assist you. Our reception team follow a strict code of confidentiality just like the rest of our staff.

The same way as before, please telephone the practice and book in with a Pharmacist.

If you need an existing fit note extended:
* Please fill in an admin request using RapidHealth.
If you need a new sick note:
* If the issue is new but the surgery has documentation i.e. hospital discharge summary, please fill in an admin request using RapidHealth
* If the issue is new with no documentation, or a very old issue then you will need to speak to a clinician. Please fill out the Rapid Health online form and you will be offered an appropriate appointment.

For all tests requested by the practice, we will not routinely contact patients about normal test results or those not requiring any further action. We will contact you regarding any abnormal test results that warrant further action.Once a GP has reviewed your results, you can view your test results via the NHS App or the online SystmOnline system. Please be aware that although routine blood test results may be back within a couple of days, they can take up to 10 working days to be processed. X-Ray and Scan results up to 14 days to appear in your medical record.If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of having your test or investigation and have ongoing symptoms you are concerned about, then please contact the practice again to tell us about your ongoing symptoms online via Rapid Healh or by calling the practice.

You can watch a short video about Rapid Health by clicking on the image below. If you have any further questions, then please speak to our Reception team.