1. Submit
Whenever you have a health concern, you can complete a request here.
You can submit requests for a variety of medical and administrative queries.
If you want to request a GP appointment please select the option “I want help with a medical issue” or see our videos below.
For any help with Anima please visit following link: Anima for Patients: how to access Anima
2. Review
Once your request has been submitted, it is not necessary to contact us to find out the status of your request, updates can be found on the Anima tracker and we encourage patients to check this regularly.
Anima requests are triaged based on clinical urgency, with appointments allocated accordingly.
Once processed, you will receive a text update or a phone call from a member of the team.
General enquiries can also be submitted via Anima and can take 2 working days to action.
FAQs
What are the opening times for Anima?
Anima is open from 8.00am every weekday.
Do I need an account to use Anima?
You do not need an account when using the link from the surgery website. It will ask you for a few details each time you contact the surgery to confirm your identity. You can also raise a request for someone else.
Why Is Anima closed?
The practice closes one afternoon per month for staff training, on these days Anima will close at 12.30pm. View our surgery times here
Remember there are also out of hours services when we are closed, including the Enhanced Access Hub, 111 and 999.
How soon will I hear back?
Appointment requests are triaged based on clinical need and appointments are allocated accordingly. We aim to respond to all appointment requests within two working day.
General enquiries and routine requests may take up to two working days to action.
You can always check the status of your query via your Anima dashboard.
What happens if I can’t access the internet or don’t feel confident using it?
Our reception team are always happy to help.
They are able to submit requests for patients who require additional support, these patients have already been identified with the practice. The reception team will then call you back to inform you of the outcome of your request.
Our dedicated tech support team can offer support and guide patients through the process to give you the confidence to submit your own requests in the future.
Submitting the online request yourself enables you to answer the questions freely, and is the most efficient method of requesting appointments. By doing so, it speeds up the process and allows reception to help those requiring additional support.
Why have we changed to Anima?
GP practices are experiencing significant strain with declining GP numbers and increasing demand. Ensuring that patients are seen by the appropriate clinician in the right place and the right time means that patient care and experience is improved, and it reduces pressure on GP practices, allowing GPs to spend their time where it is needed the most. The idea behind a total digital triage is also to avoid the “8am rush” that has become a problem for many. This approach is supported by NHS England who have advised that GP surgeries consider this approach in future.
Can I use Anima to request a repeat prescription?
Yes you can either use the NHS app or Anima to request medication. Alternatively, you can come into the surgery to request via a medication slip at reception and posting requests through the prescription box.
Is Anima an App?
No, Anima is not an app currently. It can only be accessed through the website. The Anima team are working on integration with the NHS app and we will update you when this has happened.
The reception team can help you to save the website as an icon on your homescreen so it easily accessible.
Can I contact Anima directly?
Yes! We would encourage you to email Anima’s support team on support@animahealth.com if you have trouble using the website.
How do I send a request for someone else?
If they are registered at Spinney Brook Medical Centre use the same link and say you are submitting the request for someone else. You will be able to submit Anima requests on their behalf - this may be useful to submit requests for children, or elderly relatives for example.
Appointments
Our appointments are triaged based on clinical need. Everyone who is assessed as needing an urgent appointment will be seen that day.
We kindly remind patients to answer calls from reception, as we may be able to offer an appointment at short notice.
For routine requests we can offer pre-bookable appointments up to two weeks in advance.
If you have a preferred clinician or availability requirements, please specify this on the anima request.
We ask patients to submit one problem per request only discuss. This ensures that each request can be triaged effectively and booked with the right clinician, at the right time.
Should you arrive more than 5 minutes late for your appointment, our computer system will automatically mark you as not arrived and your appointment will need to be rebooked. We thank you for your understanding with this matter.
Telephone consultations are available with a GP or Nurse Practitioner.
You may be offered a telephone consultations in the first instance dependant on your clinical need. If the appointment is booked for the morning the Clinician will contact you between 08.30am and 1.00pm. For afternoon appointments the Clinician will contact you between 2.00pm to 6.30pm.
We shall contact you twice. If there is no answer you will need to submit another request via our appointment booking system to re-arrange the appointment. Unfortunately we do not have capacity to call more than twice.
It is advised that you keep the surgery up to date of any changes to your details.
GP Enhanced Access
East Northants Enhanced Access Hub
The Enhanced Access Hub is a GP led evening and weekend service that offers a range of services for patients registered at surgeries across East Northants. Appointments for these services are bookable by your own GP Practice and are offered at both Harborough Field Surgery and The Cottons Medical Centre.
These appointments are limited to a set criteria however the appointments that are offered may include:
- GP appointments for new problems
- Paediatric Nurses for under 6 year olds for new problems
- Nurse Practitioner - for new minor illnesses
- Smear Clinics
- Chronic Disease - Asthma/COPD reviews
- Physiotherapy
- Respiratory Hub - cold/flu symptoms eg. chest infections
- Menopause clinic
- Microsuction
These services are subject to change and we will update the website with these changes as soon as possible.
Chaperones
If the doctor or nurse is going to carry out an intimate or personal examination they will explain the examination, procedure or consultation and will offer you the choice to have a chaperone present in the room during the examination or consultation.
Some clinicians may require a chaperone to be present. You can choose whether a member of staff provides the chaperone, or a person of your own choice.
If a chaperone cannot be made available at that time then another appointment will be made for you.
How Can You Help
You can help us by:-
- Being on time for your appointment. After five minutes your appointment will be missed.
- Please report to Reception or use the self check in screen upon arrival. If you do not let us know you have arrived, we cannot see you and if it is too late you will be asked to re-book your appointment.
- If you need to cancel an appointment, please give a minimum of one hour notice so we can then offer it to somebody else.
- Signing up for the NHS app for test results
- Try using the NHS app or Anima for online prescription orders
- We are a large/busy practice, please be patient and respect all our staff.
Translation Support and BSL Services
- It is important that you and your family are able to ask questions and get answers about your health in your own language.
- Reception can make arrangements for an interpreter to join your GP/Nurse consultation over the telephone.
- If you require a sign-language interpreter this can be arranged in person provided sufficient notice has been given.
- Please advise reception when booking appointments if you require an interpreter so that these arrangements can be made on your behalf.
How to cancel my appointment?
- When you receive your appointment reminder via text message you can respond via the link to cancel your appointment.
- Telephone the surgery to speak to a member of the reception team.
- Through Anima, using the admin request option.
Please note this is for Spinney Brook Medical Centre appointments only and not East Northants enhanced access appointments. You will need to contact your own surgery if you need to cancel an enhanced access appointment.
If you need to cancel your Hub appointment and your surgery is closed, please email northantsicb.eastnorthantspcn@nhs.net. Please note this email is only monitored Monday to Friday 6.30pm to 8.00pm and Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm and will only deal with cancellations.
Training Practice
The surgery has been accredited as being suitable as a training practice for trainee Doctors.
The trainers in the practice are Dr English and Dr Malik. Our GP registrars are with us for a few months at a time as part of their ongoing training. Video recordings of consultations are often used for training purposes and therefore you may be asked if you are willing to have your consultation videoed. You will be asked at the time you book your appointment if you consent to this. The training doctor and registrar are the only people to use the recording, it is then erased.
There are occasions when registrars may need to sit in with one of the clinicians during your appointment. You will always be informed and have the right to decline if preferred.
Please accept these trainee practitioners as a valued addition to our team and consult with them as you would any other doctor/nurse in the practice.