Anima:
As of Wednesday 10th September, we will be implementing a new online consultation provider, Anima. It allows patients to submit request for medical appointments, prescriptions and general queries. Anima allows our team to continue to improve access times by helping us direct you to the most appropriate care for your medical needs. This ensures we make use of our limited resources in the most safe and efficient way. All appointments will be offered according to clinical urgency and need. By using this triage system, it means that patients will be managed more equitable and effectively, connecting our patients efficiently to the right person for the right service.
You can complete an Anima request form here.
How to use Anima Online Triage:
How to submit a request in Anima
Please see the Anima tutorial video to see how to submit a request.
If you need further support please ring the Surgery or contact the Anima Support Team
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How to Submit a request in Anima without and account
Please see the Anima tutorial video to see how to submit an Anima request without an account, you will need to do this if submitting on behalf of someone else.
If you need further support please ring the Surgery or contact the Anima Support Team.
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What happens after I submit a request in Anima?
Please see the Anima tutorial video to see how what happens once you have submitted a request.
If you need further support please ring the Surgery or contact the Anima Support Team.
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How to check your appointments and respond to an invite in Anima
Please see the Anima tutorial video to see how you can check appointments/responses via Anima.
If you need further support please ring the Surgery or contact the Anima Support Team.
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FAQ
What are the opening times for Anima?
We aim to have Anima open from 8am-6:30pm every weekday for routine appointment requests, test results and any other admin queries. For acute problems which need to be seen within a few days, Anima will be available between 8am-1:30pm, this may close sooner if we have reached our maximum safe level for appointments for that day.
Why is Anima closed?
On some days, demand for GP appointments far outweigh the safe capacity we can provide and we may have to turn Anima off early because we are full. If you find Anima is closed because we have reached the maximum number of submissions for that day and your health concern is urgent, please consider using the NHS 111 Service, or in an emergency call 999 or attend A&E.
Anima will not be available on Bank Holidays or when the surgery is closed for staff training.
How soon will I hear back?
We aim to respond to queries the same day, however some routine queries may take us a few days to get back to you as we will prioritise urgent care.
You can always check the status of your query via the dashboard when you log into your Anima account.
Anima is telling me to stop submitting my health concerns as I have a medical emergency but I want to submit to the surgery?
If you are submitting a medical concern and you are advised by Anima that you should seek medical help via 111 or 999, please follow this advice.
We are not an emergency service and your health issue may be better treated by emergency health professionals.
We are notified but Anima when patients amend 'red-flagged' answer in order to submit to the practice.
How will the surgery contact me?
You will be contacted either by a telephone call or a text in regards to a response to a submission of an Anima form.
Can we use a shared email address to sign up to Anima?
We would recommend using separate email address to sign up to Anima if you want to create an account. If you would really like to use the same email address then one person will need to sign up to Anima using the desired email address and add the other person as a dependent. However we will need written consent from both parties as medical information for one another will be available to both users.
If you are going to use Anima without making an account then you would be able to use the same email address as someone else.
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 you via Anima and can text or call you back to inform you of the outcome of your request.
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, it reduces pressure on GP practices allowing GPs to spend their time where it is needed the most. The idea behind Total Triage is also to avoid the ''8am rush'' that has become a problem for many. This approach is supported by NHS England who has advised that GP surgeries consider this approach in future.
Is Anima and 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. A lot of people find it useful to save the website onto the home screen on their phone/laptop so it is easily accessible.
You can log into Anima using your NHS app log in credentials or create your own unique Anima username and password.
Can I contact Anima directly?
Yes! We would encourage you to Contact the Anima Support Team if you have trouble using the website.
What are the benefits to me as a patient?
As a patient you will benefit from:
- Being able to log on to see the status and outcomes of your current and past requests.
- You can use the system in a number of different languages
- You will be asked questions based on your issues
- Your medical records will be more complete for the future
- The practice responses will be clearer
- You will receive a text message or email to let you know when the practice has responded.
- You can provide all the information that the practice needs without waiting on the phone
What are the benefits to the practice?
As a practice, Minster Surgery will benefit from:
- Seeing your request in a clear structured format
- Being able to save all the information about your requests in a structured way into your medical records - this will help staff when looking at your records for this episode of care or in the future.
- Less duplications of requests
- Your requests will be clearer to understand at first glance meaning we will be able to allocate the most appropriate members of our team, making the turn-around more efficient
- Your requests will come into our system with a Red, Amber or Green rating with clear information about what responded have triggered the rating. This will allow the team to focus on any urgent requests first.
- We will be able to provide clearer response due to the way that Anima builds the response as we perform actions.
What about my data?
Anima is approved by NHS Digital to be used by GP practices and the other systems involved in your care. The NHS has a lengthy assurance process to ensure we meet the highest of standard of safety and security. Your data is safe and shared only with us for the purposes of your direct care. Your data is stored and sent securely using industry best practices. Only data this is necessary to provide you with care is collected.
I don't want to use Anima, I just want to see a GP
We strongly believe that accessing services, advice and guidance this way is much more efficient in comparison to previous models. It only takes up to 10 Minutes to complete an Anima submission and 2-3 minutes for a GP to process. Research shows that 70% of patient requests can be closed without the need for a face to face appointment which means that you may not even have to come to the surgery, Also, you can access NHS based help via Anima anytime even outside of surgery hours during the week.
Anima Privacy Policy
For patients whose GP practice uses Anima to manage and process online consultation, Anima acts as a 'data processor' on behalf of your GP practice. This means that we only process personal data to the extent that is required for your GP practice to provide you with the care that you need. When you submit a request through Anima, your personal data is not shared with any third parties, nor are you subject to any advertising when using Anima.
Some clauses in our privacy policy can only apply to users of our website, and this is so we can account for advertising services and cookies that may be present in users' browsers.
Anima is certified to NHS and UK government standards for data security and information governance: all data processed through Anima is secure (encrypted) both in transit (when it is sent) and at rest (when it is received), and all data is stored in the UK. No patient data is shared outside the UK.
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