From Wednesday 1 October, every GP practice in England must keep their online booking open all day during working hours (8am-6:30pm) - no more closing these systems and forcing everyone onto jammed phone lines.
This delivers on our manifesto promise to end the 8am scramble - patients can now contact their GP digitally whenever suits them during core hours, not just in that frantic morning rush.
It's about choice and convenience - patients can still phone or walk in, but now they've also got the online option available all day. More people requesting bookings online means quieter phone lines for those who need to call.
The evidence shows it is working - practices already doing this have seen dramatic improvements. One London surgery cut waiting times from 14 days down to just 3 days, with 95% of patients seen within a week.
More patients are now contacting their GP online than over the phone for the first time ever, according to the Office for National Statistics, and patient satisfaction with GPs is improving after a decade of decline.
Won’t this lead to GPs being overloaded with requests?
No. Many GPs have been offering this service, and now it will be provided to patients across the country.
Practices who weren’t already offering this service were given 6 months from when the contract was agreed to prepare for this change. Evidence shows that where GP practices have moved to this model, both staff and patients have reported a smoother workflow and a better service.
What are you doing to support GPs? Will you increase the workforce to help manage online requests?
Fixing the front door of the NHS is a priority for this government, and GPs are front and centre of our 10 Year Health Plan.
We have recruited more than 2,500 extra GPs, delivered 8 million more GP appointments this year, and invested an extra £1.1 billion in general practice – as part of our plans to bring back the family doctor and end the 8am scramble.
Thanks to this record support and the hard work of GPs, public satisfaction with GP services is finally on the rise.
How are you helping GPs with the rollout of online consultation requests?
We are committed to supporting any practices that are struggling with the new requirements and help to drive up compliance.
The NHS as sought out any practices that are struggling to help them to prepare, including providing guidance, webinars, case studies, and bringing in GPs and practice staff who are experts in service redesign and improvement in general practice.
What about urgent requests? Will these be missed?
No. This move will support GPs to care for their patients who need non-urgent care.
Patients requiring urgent care should be told to phone their GP or attend in person. GPs can direct patients submitting online requests for urgent issues to phone lines or ask them to attend in person.
It is standard practice for GPs to direct patients to other services when that would better serve the urgency of their need. This is part of how the NHS system is designed to work efficiently and ensure patients get the right level of care.
What about patients who may not know how to use online services?
More patients than ever before are contacting their GP online than over the phone – by delivering online consultation requests, we are unclogging phone lines including for those who wish to speak to someone to book their appointment.
Patients will always have the option to walk-in to their GP surgery for information and services.
This move is about expanding, not limiting access, so patients have a variety of options for communicating with their GP, so they can do so at their convenience.
Are you listening to the BMA’s concerns?
The BMA signed up to and agreed this policy with GPs as part of their contract, and we remain committed to working together to implement this as efficiently as possible.
However, it is unacceptable for BMA GP Committee members to try to organise GPs to ‘overwhelm’ Accident & Emergency departments in protest at this change. That does not represent a legitimate concern, but dangerous and unprofessional behaviour which cannot be allowed.
Is this just more work for GPs with no new funding?
We’ve invested an extra £1.1 billion in general practice – the biggest cash increase in over a decade – and recruited over 2,500 extra GPs across England.
The change also follows two above inflation pay awards for GPs – with the latest 4% award coming in May of this year, backdated to 1 April 2025.
The new requirement represents best practice which many GP practices across England have already adopted successfully.
Of course we'll keep supporting practices throughout implementation, learning from the ones already doing it.
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