Headlines
- Reception team are now based in the GP surgery at the Ore Clinic site
- GP patient survey Results from January 2026
The latest NHS national survey data revealing how local patients rate access, care quality, and overall experience at their practice. - ‘AiMEE’ launched to reduce phone queue times
We are implementing a new software to answer incoming calls, handle routine inquiries, and drastically reduce wait times for patients. - Covid 19 and flu Unfortunately, the surgery is not offering covid 19 or flu vaccinations. If you are eligible for a covid 19 vaccination, please contact NHS 1, 1, 9, use the NHS National Booking System, attend a participating walk-in clinic, or contact a local pharmacy.
- URGENT CLINICAL DIRECTIVE: Pre-Referral Tests Required for Urgent Cancer Scans
Patients scheduled for suspected cancer referrals are urged to complete requested preliminary tests immediately to prevent delay in specialist hospital bookings. - ‘Asterix’ system for patient test results
By streamlining backend processing, the surgery’s new Asterix system is set to significantly cut down the time patients wait for lab and blood test updates. - Closure of the Harold Road Site
- NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN: Free Blood Pressure Checks Rolled out This September
Practices join the annual national push urging all eligible adults to get their blood pressure tested this month to catch hidden health risks early. - URINE SAMPLES
Please be aware that urine dipstick tests are unreliable for many patients and we will be following national guidance about which samples to dip, therefore your urine may not be dipped but sent directly to the Conquest hospital for processing. - PATIENT PARTICIPATION GROUP (PPG)
We met with some members of the PPG. If you would like to be involved in this group going forward use the form on our website: https://www.thehillsurgery.nhs.uk/patient-group/about-our-ppg/
Our reception team are now based in the GP surgery at the Ore Clinic site
We were sorry to say goodbye to our receptionist team based in Manchester, but we now feel that it is the right time to bring this back into the surgery. In fact, many of you will have already noticed that the phones are being answered by our in house team.
GP patient survey Results from January 2026
Only 28% of patients found it easy to get through on the phone compared to 57% of patients nationally. We are actively trying to improve your experience and this has influenced our decision to bring the phone lines back to the surgery.
89% of patients who completed the survey found the reception and administrative team helpful compared to 85% nationally. We are confident that our in house reception team have local knowledge of the area and practice, they are able to resolve administrative queries quickly as they are co-located together. We have found that patients also prefer speaking to a team member they know and may have met in person at reception when speaking to them on the phone.
See the results for yourself by following this link:
https://www.gp-patient.co.uk/patientexperience/results?code=G81031
AiMEE (AI Medical Enquiry Expert)
Phone answering service to reduce call queue times for patients.
Previous feedback from patients showed us that we needed to make sure patients did not have long waits for their call to be answered.
We have therefore set up service Called AiMEE so that if using this Further information follows (can also be found on the website).
We are excited to announce that The Hill surgery is upgrading our phone system with AiMEE, a friendly, intelligent voice assistant built specifically for NHS GP practices by Think Healthcare.
What is AiMEE?
AiMEE (AI Medical Enquiry Expert) is a conversational voice layer added to our phone system. Instead of pressing buttons on your keypad or waiting in long morning phone queues, you can now simply speak to AiMEE naturally to get what you need.
How it benefits you:
- No more long queues: AiMEE answers calls instantly, meaning you don’t have to wait on hold just to ask a quick question or request administrative help.
- Order repeat prescriptions securely: AiMEE connects directly with the NHS Electronic Prescription Service (EPS). You can securely order your regular medications over the phone, and they will be sent straight to your clinical record for approval.
- Speak naturally: There is no rigid menu. You can explain your query in your own words, and AiMEE will guide you to the right outcome or route you directly to the correct team member. The AiMEE system transcribes exactly what you have said and puts this into our clinical system for the Call allocation team to review and prioritise in order of clinical need.
- Please be aware that if you are abusive or use offensive language in your interaction with AiMEE this will be recorded into your medical records.
- Will I still be able to talk to a human receptionist?
Yes, absolutely AiMEE is not replacing our wonderful reception team. Instead, she takes care of routine enquiries and prescription requests so that our staff have more time to support patients with complex needs or those visiting the front desk. If you have a complex medical query or simply prefer to speak to a person, you can ask AiMEE to transfer you to the team at any time.
Safety reminder:
If you are experiencing a medical emergency such as severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, sudden weakness, loss of consciousness, or heavy bleeding, please hang up and dial 999 immediately.
Covid 19 or flu
Unfortunately, the surgery is not offering covid 19 or flu vaccinations. If you are eligible for a covid 19 vaccination, please contact NHS 1, 1, 9, use the NHS National Booking System, attend a participating walk-in clinic, or contact a local pharmacy.
Suspected cancer referrals
In order for the hospital to process your referral they often need you have had tests completed before you are allocated an appointment. Commonly you need to have up to date bloods within the last 3 months and you may need to provide a stool sample test. For cardiology referrals you often need to have an ECG, a tracing of your heart. You may also need to have X-rays before we can refer you to the musculoskeletal clinic.
If you are asked to do these for your referral please book these in and complete them as soon as possible so we can process your referral quickly. Let the reception team know if you need the tests done for an urgent referral.
Test result processing: Asterix
To improve the time it takes for your results to be looked at and actioned by a GP we are using a company called Asterix to help with this.
This company provides qualified international doctors to work remotely. This is a GP led service which is approved by the CQC (care quality commission) who work alongside the GP partners to ensure your test result is reviewed quickly and acted upon. You may be called by the remote GPs to discuss your results or receive messages from them.
Closure of the Harold Road site
As time has gone by, the Partners and Management team of The Hill Surgery have come to the reluctant decision that we have to permanently close our Harold Road Site (164 Harold Road).
The Harold Road Site was originally temporarily closed due to poor conditions, at this time we are unaware if these have been rectified. However, the forced move has shown that our services have not been negatively affected.
We have already moved the dispensary to the Fairlight Road Site (21 Fairlight Road) and all services have already been consolidated to the Ore Clinic and Fairlight Road sites (within a 5-10 minute walk of each other), which will allow for easier/faster communication within the surgery and for the coordination of complex care to be simplified. Senior doctors will be able to more easily provide supervision to all staff including junior doctors, ANPs, pharmacists and others.
The new site on Old London Road (the Ore Clinic site) is a purpose built surgery. Our opening times haven’t changed, and no services have been stopped. The Ore Clinic site has a car park which patients can use when they have an appointment (don’t forget to enter your vehicle’s registration plate so that you don’t get a ticket!), this means more parking for patients than at the Harold Road site and more allocated disabled parking spaces than at the Harold Road Site. Due to the extra space available at the new site, we have been able to move our reception team back in-house, as requested by many patients.
To assess the impact of this decision, we have created a survey which can be found by following the link or scanning the QR code below and paper versions can be found in the reception areas of either the Fairlight Road or Ore Clinic sites.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CT7XZ83
September brings many National health campaigns.
Blood pressure can be a pre-cursor to heart disease and stroke and often does not give you any symptoms. We encourage you to have your blood pressure checked.
