Telephone triage

The doctor’s assistent will ask why you want to make an appointment. This is called triage.

Triage is important because:

• The doctor’s assistant can estimate the severity of the injury/complaint and what kind of appointment is needed. For example, an emergency appointment, an appointment, or just a prescription or advice
• The doctor’s assistant can estimate how much time is needed for an appointment
• The doctor’s assistant can determine what specialist is needed for your injury/complaint

A triage is not meant to keep you away from the GP. It is meant to ensure safe and efficient health care.