The health service as a whole is faced with an ever increasing number of patients presenting with a wide range of problems; from minor illness and injury to major trauma and life threatening conditions. The Manchester Triage System Telephone Triage and Advice (MTS TTA) is a clinical risk assessment tool used by telephone triage clinicians worldwide to consistently and effectively manage patient flow where demand far exceeds capacity.

It provides clinicians with a framework for telephone triage to ensure patients receive the most appropriate priority and plan of care following a remote triage assessment. Clinicians are able to identify lower acuity presentations and safely refer patients to alternative health care providers, reducing unnecessary Emergency Department attendances as well as protecting valuable emergency resources for where they are needed most.  The same reductive methodology is employed as in all Manchester Triage Tools, and as such, patients with high acuity presentations are identified immediately, ensuring patients requiring immediate intervention are identified without delay.

Telephone Triage and Advice is primarily used in Ambulance Trusts worldwide to safely manage lower acuity emergency calls, however it’s use in Primary Care and Out of Hours services is increasing due to its ability to assist clinicians in the prioritisation and streaming of urgent and emergency presentations. The robust methodology of the Manchester Triage System ensures that a consistent approach to telephone triage assessment and prioritisation is followed, and as such provides assurance as it allows for a robust audit methodology to be employed.  It is a professional and expert system, and the most, rather than the least experienced clinicians should be using it.

The Manchester Triage System (MTS) was developed solely for registered Health Care Professionals due to the clinical skills and knowledge required in performing a triage assessment. MTG will not support organisations allowing the use of MTS by staff who are non-HCPs.  In any medical negligence proceedings where the court requests evidence, MTG will send a letter to this effect.