New scheme trialled at GP surgeries in West Yorkshire
It's estimated 930 GP hours were saved.
An initiative to train GP receptionists in directing patients to different services if they do not require an appointment with a doctor has been trialled in parts of England.
Some reception and clerical staff have been given enhanced roles as "care navigators'' to help patients see the right person the first time, as part of a ÂŁ45 million programme to free up GPs' schedules.
Pharmacists, physiotherapists and community support groups are among the services patients may be directed to if they are deemed to not need an appointment with their GP, although they can still request an appointment with a doctor should they want one.
A group of practices in West Yorkshire covering 64,000 patients estimated around 930 GP hours were saved using the care navigation system over a 10-month period.
One receptionist described it as "reception plus", while another said the system "has taken a lot of the strain off GPs and given us more appointment slots."