20/01/2026
We know some patients prefer to contact us by telephone, which can be difficult and frustrating at busy times when there are longer call queues.
We’ve been looking at ways to improve this, and we’re trialling Patchs Telephone Assistant to improve how you can contact us by phone ☎️📲
This is an automated phone service that's an additional option (option 2) on our telephones where you can skip the call queue, and:
💬 Answer a few standard questions designed to tell us what you need, by leaving a voice message with your request
📩 When you’ve ended the call, your voice message is securely sent to the practice team for review, and
👩💻 Our trained practice staff will review your request. It will be triaged, and we will contact you to advise of next steps.
❓You can use Patchs Telephone Assistant for making requests for medical help (for non-urgent or routine issues) AND for documents such as fit notes.
We’re trialling this to provide choice and improve access for patients. But - we need YOUR help! Please give it a go if you’re happy to, and let us know what you think. Your feedback will help us improve things for everyone 😄
Need to speak to a member of our team instead? No worries – Patchs telephone assistant is optional! Just select option 5 instead as usual.
➡ https://www.lancastermedicalpractice.co.uk/2026/01/19/improved-telephone-access-for-patients-patchs-telephone-assistant/
