Source: Department of Health and Social Care published on this site Wednesday 1 October 2025 by Jill Powell
GP phone lines across the country will be freed up as practices are now required to keep their online consultation tools running throughout the day, in a major step towards the government’s ambition of ending the 8am scramble.
From today (1 October 2025), patients will be able to request appointments, ask questions, and describe symptoms online throughout the day rather than calling their surgery or visiting in person. This will help free up practice phone lines for those who need them most, and make it more convenient to access appointments.
Online access is not consistent across the country and is especially difficult in overlooked areas. Some GP practices turn online requests off when they reach a certain number, while others only have the online function available for a few hours a day. When patients can’t get through on the phone, 6.6% end up in A&E – which is worse for them and more expensive for the taxpayer. By fixing the front door of the NHS, these reforms will help to ease pressures on other parts of the health service.
To ensure all GPs provide this service and meet demand, the government is providing unprecedented support for general practice and shifting care and vital resources to the community. This includes investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice – the biggest increase in over a decade – and hiring an extra 2,000 GPs since July 2024. This has led to five million more appointments being delivered this year compared to last, with latest ONS data showing three in four patients now find it easy to contact their practice.
The new requirement for online access represents best practice that some GP practices across England have already adopted successfully. Evidence shows that where practices have moved to this “Modern General Practice” approach, both staff and patients report improved service quality.
One London GP surgery which adopted this approach to online requests reduced waits from 14 days to just three – with 95% of patients seen within a week.
Online patient submissions have grown significantly, with almost six million submissions in July 2025 compared to 3.4 million in July 2024, demonstrating growing patient preference for digital access options that fit around their daily lives.
To make sure those most in need are prioritised, GPs are now also being incentivised to identify patients who would benefit most from seeing the same GP at every appointment, so more patients see their regular doctor each appointment.
Patients will also benefit from over 8.3 million more appointments each year as over 1,000 doctors’ surgeries receive a bricks and mortar upgrade to modernise practices under the government’s Plan for Change.
NHS England has provided extensive support to help practices implement the changes, including a peer support programme and case studies from practices already offering online access throughout core hours.
Practices are now also required to publish a new patient charter dubbed “You and Your GP” on their websites – informing patients what they can expect from their practice and how to give feedback or raise concerns. Practices are now required to have clear processes in place to receive patient feedback or concerns so they can be swiftly addressed.
To make sure those most in need are prioritised, GPs are now also being incentivised to identify patients who would benefit most from seeing the same GP at every appointment, so more patients see their regular doctor each appointment.
Patients will also benefit from over 8.3 million more appointments each year as over 1,000 doctors’ surgeries receive a bricks and mortar upgrade to modernise practices under the government’s Plan for Change.
