Anima FAQ

Anima is our new online triage and appointment system, designed to make accessing care faster and more convenient. Instead of calling and waiting on hold, you can submit a request online using a simple form. Anima will ask you a few straightforward questions about your symptoms or query, which helps our clinical team understand what you need. Your request is reviewed by the same triage team you’d speak to on the phone. Prefer to call? That’s absolutely fine, our reception team will use the same Anima system to help you over the phone.

1. Visit our website and scroll down to the Appointments section.

2. Click on the big blue button that says:
“Submit a Medical (GP or ANP Appointment) or Admin Request.”

3. Choose “I want help with a health problem.”

4. Fill in your details
(No account is required to submit a request)
Click Continue to move through the form.

5. Emergency screening questions
Anima will ask a short series of questions to check for medical emergencies.

• If you may be experiencing a medical emergency, Anima will safely signpost you to the most appropriate service (e.g. 999, 111, Urgent Treatment Centre).
• If your problem is not an emergency, you will continue to the conditions page.

6. Choose your condition
Select the condition that best matches your problem and complete the questionnaire.
If your condition is not listed, click “My condition is not listed” and give as much detail as possible.

7. Your request is reviewed by the Duty GP
Once submitted, your request goes directly to our Duty GP for that day, who reviews the information, decides the urgency, and assigns one of the following outcomes:

• Advice without the need for an appointment
• Same-day (acute) appointment with a GP, ANP, or Clinical Pharmacist
• Routine GP/ANP/Clinical Pharmacist appointment
• A telephone call for further information or assessment

8. You receive your outcome
You will receive a phone call, SMS, or Anima message with the result.
This may include:

Advice or instructions from a clinician

A link to book your own appointment

Notification that we wish to see you the same day

1. Visit our website and scroll down to the Appointments section.

2. Click on the big blue button that says:
“Submit a Medical (GP or ANP Appointment) or Admin Request.”

3. Choose “I have an administrative query.”

4. Select the type of admin request you need
You will see options such as:

• Sick note (fit note) request
• Medication review request
• Form completion request (e.g. housing forms, DWP forms, school letters, etc.)
• General admin queries

Choose the option that best matches what you need.

5. Fill in your details
(No account is required to submit a request)

Then click Continue.

6. Complete the short questionnaire
Anima will ask for the information the Duty GP needs in order to process your request safely and efficiently.
Provide details such as:

• Your symptoms or reason for time off (for sick notes)
• Relevant background for medication reviews
• Uploading or describing any forms you need completed

7. Your request goes directly to the Duty GP
All admin requests are reviewed by the Duty GP for that day, who will decide the most appropriate action.
Depending on your request, the Duty GP may:

• Issue your sick note (if appropriate from the information provided)
• Arrange a medication review with a GP, ANP, or Clinical Pharmacist
• Complete the form or advise you of any next steps
• Request more information if needed
• Arrange a phone call if clarification or discussion is required

8. You receive your outcome
You will receive a phone call, SMS, or Anima message confirming what has been done.
This may include:

A request for extra details if required

A completed sick note sent electronically

A link to book a medication review appointment

Confirmation that your form has been completed or is being processed

We’re introducing Anima to improve access to care, reduce waiting times on the phone, and help our team prioritise patients based on clinical need. With Anima, we receive all the relevant information up front, so we can make quicker, safer decisions and direct you to the most appropriate clinician or service. This is also in line with NHS England guidance, which encourages practices to use online triage models to manage demand safely and fairly. This will eliminate the current “first come, first based” service.

You can use Anima to:

Request a GP or Advanced Nurse appointment
Ask for medical advice
Request sick notes
Update personal details
Submit general admin questions

Please note: Repeat prescriptions should still be ordered via the NHS App or SystemOnline – Anima is not used for medication requests.

Please do NOT use Anima to:

Routine Practice Nurse Appointments:
Routine nursing appointments cannot be booked through Anima.
This includes:
– Blood tests
– Cervical smears
– Vaccinations / immunisations
– Long-term condition reviews (e.g. asthma, COPD, diabetes)
– Dressings, ECGs, injections
– NHS Health Checks
To book these, please:
Pop into the surgery, or
Call our reception team, or
Use your SystmOne Online / NHS App (if the appointment type is enabled).
Repeat prescriptions should still be ordered via the NHS App or SystemOnline – Anima is not used for medication requests.

Anima is available Monday to Friday, from 6:00am to 6:00pm. On very busy days, we may need to close access earlier to safely manage the day’s demand. In urgent situations, contact NHS 111 or 999.

Once you submit your request, it goes through our clinical triage process. This allows us to traffic light requests based on urgency:

We aim to respond to all requests within 48 hours, though urgent cases are often dealt with on the same day

No problem! Just call our reception team, and they’ll go through the questions with you and submit the request on your behalf. We also have support available at reception if you’d like help learning how to use Anima yourself in future. We’re here to make access easier, not harder.

Yes. Everything submitted through Anima is secure, fully confidential, and automatically added to your medical record, just like a face-to-face consultation.

Start with your main concern, as this helps us triage your needs more effectively. If you have more than one issue, mention this in the form or during our response, we’ll do our best to help with everything.

No download required. Anima is web-based and works from any internet-connected device – phone, tablet, or computer. You can log in using your NHS login, just like with the NHS App.

Our reception team is here to support you. For technical issues with the system itself, you can also contact Anima supportdirectly at support@animahealth.com.