Every GP practice in England has to be done now Offer online appointment bookingEvery morning in a bid to reduce the so -called “8am scribbles”.
From 1 October, non-essential appointment requests, drug questions and administrator requests will require practices to keep your online counseling tool open for your working hours period.
This change was announced in February as part of the new GP contract for 2025-2026, along with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England said the step “would be subject to the necessary security measures to immediately present the clinical requests”.
British Medical Association (BMA) has opposed plans And warned that serious health issues can be potentially remembered.
It was argued that these promised security measures have not been kept and no additional employees have been brought to manage that it predicts to be a “barrage of online requests”.
According to the union, changes can lead to “a waiting list of hospital-style in general practice” and “reduce face-to-face GP appointments”.
This said that this patient may risk safety because employees try to find the most important cases, with the apprehension that it will take too much time to review the online requests.
BMA said on Monday that it would consider industrial action.
Many surgery already have a system that allows patients to request online consultation, with employees to review them and with booking of appointments accordingly.
However, according to DHSC, there is a lack of stability, some choose to close the function with surgery in a busy period.
Care Minister Stephen Kinnok said: “We promised to deal with 8 am and make our GP practice easier for patients – and this is what we are distributing.
“We are bringing our analog healthcare to the digital age, giving patients more options and convenience. We have learned Gps Those who are already offering this service and receiving awards. ,
It is as follows An announcement of an NHS online hospital Sir unveiled Kir StamorAt the Labor Party Conference on Monday, the government of the government, which reaches patients with “their home rest or their desk”.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that people will be able to use “virtual hospitals” from 2027 to talk to experts, while those who like face-to-face appointments will still be able to have them.
Sir Kir Stmper also mentioned the online shift in his speech at the Labor Party Conference and said that NHS will distribute the online “millions of appointments” digitally.
Announcing the new service, the Prime Minister said that the government will never take “face-to-face counseling” for those who want it “.
He said: “Think of a single mam jugaling children, trying to find time to talk to a specialist, or in the years later, a rural community from a hospital lives in miles, who need a check-up for suspected eye conditions.
“Why not a doctor is looking at you at home in his living room on an iPad, talking to you? No queue, no three -hour bus travel, no cancellation letter after the date of appointment.”
The government estimates that steps in a virtual hospital will create an additional 8.5 million appointments in three years.