The East Lindsey Same Day Access (SDA) Service, which commenced on December 1, 2023, and concluded on February 29, 2024, aimed to enhance access to healthcare for patients in need of urgent medical attention.

Participating practices offered SDA appointments within the time frame of 08:00 to 18:30 from Monday to Friday, aligning with GP core hours. This service provided patients the opportunity to book appointments on the same day they needed them, catering to urgent medical needs promptly and conveniently. By enabling same-day access, the service aimed to enhance patient experience, ensure timely treatment, and alleviate the burden of waiting for medical attention.

This initiative not only aimed to address pressing health concerns promptly but also aimed to enhance overall patient satisfaction by offering a more accessible and responsive healthcare service. The SDA service exemplified a commitment to patient-centered care, ensuring that individuals in need could swiftly access the medical attention they required during the specified operational period.

  • Patients of any age with acute or chronic respiratory symptoms/conditions
  • Adults aged over 75 years of age and Children aged under 5 years of age who present with any of the following –
    • Ear, nose, throat infections/pain
    • Hearing problems
    • Headaches
    • Skin infections and rashes
    • Eye problems
    • Sprains, strains, and swollen limbs
    • Joint or back pain
    • Abdominal pain/ache
    • Cough
    • High temperature
    • Sudden worsening of long-term condition
    • Emergency contraception
    • New onset of low mood/symptoms of depression
    • Urinary tract infection symptoms
    • Dizziness
    • Bites and stings not resolving from OTC treatments
    • Changes in bowel habits
    • Ongoing lethargy/tiredness
    • Vaginal discharge/abnormal bleeding
    • Unintentional weight loss
  • Any patients outside of the age range listed above, will be reviewed by a clinician who will make a decision as to whether you would benefit from being seen in the SDA clinics.

Condition list Exclusion Criteria

  • Life threatening emergencies
  • Fractures
  • Requests for hospital referrals, sick notes, repeat medications
  • Dental conditions
  • Ear irrigation
  • Ongoing management of long-term conditions

Same Day Access - Results

During this time, we conducted a survey to gather feedback from patients, who utilised this service, regarding their experience. Based on the results, it is evident that the Same Day Access service has been well-received and we are pleased to say that out of the 123 patient who took part in this survey:

  • 98% said they found making the appointment with the same day access service easy to arrange.
  • 99% said they would use the service again.
  • 83% said they were 'Extremely Likely' to recommend the service based on their experience.

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete this survey, your views and insights are incredibly valuable to us, and play a crucial role in helping us understand and improve future services we that provide.

If you used this pilot service or would like it to be a long term service, we would suggest you send a letter of support to Lincolnshire ICB

What did our patients say about this service?