From Monday 13th October 2025, Cuffley and Goffs Oak Medical Practice will be using a Total Triage system.
WHAT IS TOTAL TRIAGE?
Total Triage is a system designed to ensure that every patient receives the right care, at the right time, from the right healthcare professional.
All patients contacting the Practice will be asked to provide information about the reason for their appointment (as they do now). If a GP appointment is being requested, a short online form will need to be completed. This will be reviewed (triaged) by a clinician.
Depending on your needs, you may be:
- Offered a face-to-face or telephone appointment,
- Sent advice from the GP (e.g., self-care guidance), or
- Referred to a more appropriate service.
WHY IS THE SYSTEM CHANGING?
GP practices across the country are under increasing pressure, with more patients needing care than ever before. Traditional appointment systems – where patients must call at a set time and wait in long phone queues – are no longer effective or fair.
The new Total Triage system is being introduced to:
- Ensure patients are seen based on clinical need, not just who gets through first
- Reduce long waits for appointments
- Make sure urgent cases are identified and dealt with quickly
- Use the skills of the whole healthcare team more effectively
- Improve overall access for all patients
By collecting some information upfront, practices can direct patients to the right care, at the right time, with the right person.
HOW WILL IT WORK FOR ME?
Patients can contact us in several ways — by walking in, calling by phone, or completing an online form. If a patient is unable to complete the form themselves, our reception team will be happy to assist or complete it on their behalf.
All requests are sent to our central inbox, where a clinician will review them and decide the most appropriate next steps. Depending on the urgency and nature of the request, the patient may receive a phone call, a link to provide more information, or an invitation to self-book an appointment.
Every patient, regardless of how they contact us, will be asked the same questions. This means that patients who can’t access online services — often the same individuals who find it difficult to queue in person — will be treated in exactly the same way as those who use digital methods.
As with any new system, we will closely monitor the impact of this change and make adjustments as needed. We appreciate your patience during this transition.
The form can be viewed here. It is the form we currently use for online requests.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/CvsxpA3Ul1o?start=1&feature=oembed
Non GP appointments e.g. Nurse appointment
Cuffley Village Surgery is open and the switchboard is attended from 8am to 12pm and 1pm to 6.30pm, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and 8am to 2pm on Wednesday and Friday. At other times a recorded message will tell you how to contact a doctor (please have a pen and paper ready).
Please note, Cuffley is closed on Wednesday and Friday from 2pm. All services normally provided at these times will be available at Valley View on these days and Cuffley patients can phone Valley View on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
Valley View Surgery is open and the switchboard is attended from 8am to 1pm and 2pm to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Consultations with the doctors and nurses are by appointment only. If more than one member of your family needs to be seen, please make a separate appointment for each person.
We appreciate your right to confidentiality. However if you give the receptionist a brief outline of your problem she will be able to offer you an appropriate appointment or arrange for telephone advice.
Pharmacy First
The new Pharmacy First service, launched 31 January 2024, adds to the existing consultation service (previously known as CPCS) and enables community pharmacies to care and treat 7 common conditions following defined clinical pathways. Most Pharmacies now offer the “Pharmacy First” Service.
The following table shows the 7 additional conditions pharmacists can now manage across various age ranges and includes prescribing antibiotics where they are needed.
| Conditions | Age range |
|---|---|
| Acute otitis media (ear infection) | 1 to 17 years |
| Impetigo | 1 year and over |
| Infected insect bites | 1 year and over |
| Shingles | 18 years and over |
| Sinusitis | 12 years and over |
| Sore throat | 5 years and over |
| Uncomplicated urinary tract infections | Women 16-64 years |
To be referred to the Pharmacy First service, use our Pharmacy First referral request form. If the Pharmacist feels you would benefit from input from a GP rather than them, they will contact us and ask us to arrange a consultation with you.
Enhanced Access
Appointments with GPs, Nurses, Health Care Assistants, Pharmacists and First Contact Physiotherapist’s are now available within our Extended Access service.
This service operates 6:30pm to 8pm Monday to Friday and between 9am to 5pm Saturday in conjunction with our Primary Care Network.
These appointments may not at our surgery, but at another PCN Practice or by telephone. Please speak to our reception team for more information and availability.
Get help online
Contact us for medical and administrative help using our Accurx service.
Hospital appointments
My Planned Care gives you advice and support while you wait and helps you to prepare for your hospital consultation, treatment, or surgery. This includes giving you information about waiting times at your hospital and other supporting and local services while you wait.
Your appointment
However you choose to contact us, we may offer you a consultation:
- by phone
- face to face at the surgery
Cancelling or changing an appointment
If you cannot keep an appointment, please inform us as soon as possible as this will assist in oversubscribed situations.
To cancel your appointment:
- use your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
- using the GP online system: SystmOnline
- phone the surgery and press option 3 to leave a recorded message – Cuffley 01707 875201 or Valley View 01707875223. If the surgery is closed, please press option 1 to leave a recorded message
- use our cancel an appointment form if you are cancelling an appointment which is not within the next 24 hours
If you need help when we are closed
If you need medical help now, use NHS 111 online or call 111.
NHS 111 online is for people aged 5 and over. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.
Call 999 in a medical or mental health emergency. This is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.
A GP Service 24 Hours a Day
Did you know you can access a GP 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
Between 8am and 6.30pm you can contact Cuffley Village Surgery on 01707 875201 and Valley View Health Centre on 01707 875223.
Between 6.30pm and 8am you can dial 111 which is free from both landlines and mobiles.
Information regarding you and your medical condition will be taken and then a doctor or nurse will talk to you and assess your health needs over the phone.
You will then either:
- Be given health care advice over the phone
- Be asked to attend a local primary care centre
- Receive a home visit from a doctor or nurse
Home visits
If you are housebound and need an appointment, we will do a home visit. We will phone you first to understand what you need.
To request a home visit, please complete click here.