Anima 

Introducing Anima and Total Triage for SAMC - a brand new online consultation and appointments booking system   

Dear patient,  

We apologise for this ‘long read’ but we felt it was very important that all our patients fully understand the changes coming to St Andrews very soon. We would be incredibly grateful if you could please take the time to read this to the end. 

 As part of St Andrews Medical Centre’s ongoing commitment to give you quicker and easier access to advice, care, and treatment, we are pleased to announce the roll-out of “Anima”, in line with other practices across Tunbridge Wells. This new and improved one-stop patient-friendly online consultation and appointment booking system will replace eConsult with effect from 07/03/2024.  

  Anima securely integrates with your medical records making it easier for you to contact the surgery and for us to turn appointment requests and / or other enquiries around more quickly.  

  Whilst you can still call the surgery, Anima’s intuitive online form uses the same initial assessment questions our care navigation team will now ask you over the phone if you ring too. The same form will also be used if you come to the surgery, and we are pleased to announce we will have some easy to use tablets set up in reception from our ‘go-live’ date. If you do come in, our team can help you to use them, or if needed, they can use it to complete your request.  As such, all appointments will continue to be offered according to clinical urgency and need regardless of how you contact us.  

We would therefore like to encourage patients to use Anima if you are able to, as this will keep phone lines free for the most vulnerable individuals with no access to the internet or those who are less tech savvy.    

As well as booking urgent and routine appointments, Anima can also be used to request sick notes, letters from the practice or other administrative needs. Other key features include self-help tools, useful NHS resources and details of other nearby services.  

How it works  

If you have a health-related concern or query, click on the following link https://patients.animahealth.com/signIn?name=U3QgQW5kcmV3cw%3D%3D, or the Anima button that will replace eConsult on our website. This will direct you to complete a quick and simple online form that uses jargon free multiple-choice questions designed to help us make an initial high-level assessment of your needs.   

Your responses will be reviewed and processed using the same triaging system used over the phone by our care navigators. We will aim to respond to most Anima enquiries / requests by the end of the next working day, though less urgent requests may take longer.  

This video link will show you how to create your account:Anima for Patients - How to create your account (youtube.com)
This video link will show you how to submit a request: Anima for Patients - How to submit a request (youtube.com)  

What happens when your request reaches us?  

As well as implementing the use of Anima, we are now moving to a Total Triage service, in line with NHS England’s ‘Modern General Practice Model’, which also aims to improve accessibility to primary care services, improve capacity and maintain patient safety. When you complete your Anima’s online form, our Care Navigators will initially review it to assess your needs and to ensure you are directed to the professional most suitable for your needs. Then, one of our experienced GPs will review the request to decide which member of our healthcare team is best placed to help, the most suitable time frame for the appointment and whether this is best suited to be via telephone or in person at the practice.  Where necessary, we might ask you to answer a few additional online questions to help our clinicians prioritise those patients who need more urgent care. As well as offering GP appointments, following GP assessment, some patients will also be directed to other clinicians in the practice, in our neighbouring practices, or at our local Urgent Treatment Centres. Examples of clinicians you may see include our clinical pharmacy team, our experienced paramedic practitioners, our advanced nurse practitioner, or our first contact physiotherapists.   

How Anima & Total Triage benefits patients  

Anima will offer you many benefits, including:  
Simplicity: Completing the multiple-choice questions on the online enquiry form is jargon-free and simple to use meaning you will spend less time searching for relevant information.  
Convenience: Enquiries can be made from anywhere using a mobile, tablet or computer. You will be sent a link to the most appropriate appointment, enabling you to book the most convenient slot.  
Privacy: Completing an Anima request yourself provides you with more discretion should you prefer not to discuss your medical needs with our receptionists.  
Speed: Relevant information can be sent to us without waiting on the phone.  
Peace of mind: You can see the status and outcomes of both current and past requests / enquiries, giving you more certainty on timings and reassurance that information has not slipped through the net. You will receive texts and emails to let you know when we have responded.  
Clarity: Our responses will be clearer and easier for you to understand.  
Accuracy: Your medical records will be more complete for future use; and  
Diversity: You can use the system in several different languages. 
Equity in use of services: By triaging health needs, this will help to ensure clinically appropriate use of health services across all our population in Southborough.   

How the surgery benefits  

As a surgery, SAMC will benefit from increased efficiencies and in turn speedier turnaround times as follows:  
Clarity: We will see your enquiries in a clearer format, making them easier for us to understand at first glance.  
Continuity of care: Information included in your enquiry forms can be saved to your medical records in a more structured way, making it easier for us to access during your current, ongoing and future care.  
Better allocation of resources: Your requests will be submitted using an innovative Red, Amber or Green rating enabling us to determine which patients to prioritise, ensuring appointments are allocated appropriately and more fairly.  

How to login to Anima  

You can access Anima by using the same login information you use to access the NHS app. If you are yet to register for an NHS login, you can do so by heading to the NHS website.   
If you do not have an NHS login or do not want one, you can register for Anima without it by clicking here https://patients.animahealth.com/signIn?name=U3QgQW5kcmV3cw%3D%3D 

What about my data?  

Anima is approved by NHS Digital for use by St Andrews Medical Centre and the other systems involved in your care. The NHS has a lengthy assurance process to ensure we meet the highest standards of safety and security. Your data is safe and will only be shared with us for the purposes of your direct care. Your data is stored and sent securely using industry best practices. Only data that is necessary to provide you with care is collected.  

We would like to ask for your patience whilst we switch over to Anima and our Total Triage care model as we are aware that introducing any new system may have some teething troubles. However, we are not anticipating any significant disruption and will offer updates when appropriate to ensure you feel supported during this important switchover period.   

  We have listened to patient feedback about the difficulty in accessing appointments and we hope you find that Anima and the new Total Triage model will provide you with improved access to your surgery.  

  We are excited about this change and the benefits it will bring to both patients and staff alike.  

Kind regards,   
The team at SAMC 

Published: Feb 21, 2024