triage

we currently have a waiting list for routine appts of 20 weeks and would like to develop an triage system with assessment and advice using experienced clinicians. Is anyone able to offer advice on how it has worked for them or any problems/issues that they encountered.

we have found this helpful in coping with a waiting list. We classify patients as urgent or non urgent according to how long they've had the problem, if its post op or a paediatric thing like torticollis or CDH. The urgents we see when we have cancellations, spare appointments etc. the non urgents we see in 1/2 hour "blitz day" appointments. We doa brief assessment, give advice and/or exercises or refer to hydrotherapy. Then they go away and work on that for a month and phone for further appointments only if necessary. We set aside about 10 appointments a week for this purpose.