Online access marketing campaign launches amid warning GPs see ‘25% fewer patients’
Government-mandated online access requirements mean GPs ‘sit in front of a screen for hours and hours’, resulting in fewer face-to-face appointments for patients, the BMA’s GP committee deputy chair has said.
Dr David Wrigley said that the online access requirements mean he now has ‘at least 25% less face-to-face appointments’ with his patients.
His comments come as NHS England has launched ‘a new GP online access campaign’ to ‘increase knowledge and use of online forms’ as a route for patients to contact their GP.
Since 1 October, GPs have been contractually required to keep online systems open for patient requests between 8am and 6.30pm for routine enquiries regardless of capacity.
The GPC warned that GPs would struggle to implement the requirements safely and would have to introduce waiting lists, and is currently in formal dispute with the Government over the changes.
In a post on X directed to the health secretary and the primary care minister, Dr Wrigley said: ‘Dear Wes Streeting and Stephen Kinnock, I now have at least 25% less face to face appointments with my patients due to your enforced all day online requests I have to deal with.
‘I’m sat in front of a screen for hours and hours typing away – I became a GP to see patients in my surgery.’
Launching the campaign, which runs until the end of March, NHS England said: ‘All GP practices are required to have their online consultation system available throughout core hours for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries and admin requests.
‘This brings online access into line with telephone and walk-in, giving parity of access for patients and helping to reduce demand on telephone systems, freeing them up for patients who don’t feel confident to use, or have, digital access. Support is available from ICBs to any practice teams struggling to meet the requirements.’
BMA leaders told Pulse that GPs spending more time doing admin than spending face-to-face time with their patients ‘is not the success the Government thinks it is’, in a row around the contract changes which has caused ‘confusion and anger’ among GPs.
Pulse previously revealed that GP practices were spending time equivalent to more than 200,000 appointments a week implementing the changes, which is increasing waiting times for patients and working hours for staff as a result.
Common measures for dealing with the changes reported by GPs included blocking appointments to create space for triaging and extending staff hours, with many GPs reporting significant cutbacks in the number of available appointments and GP sessions.
Mr Kinnock also told Pulse that the Government will not be ‘unpicking or unravelling’ the changes, which ‘both parties signed up to’.
He also accused BMA leaders of turning the organisation ‘into a farce’, after the England LMCs conference saw GP leaders voting in favour of escalating the dispute.
Last month a study argued that Government-imposed policies on online GP access and the effort needed to keep systems working are taking staff away from work that would be ‘more effective’.
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READERS' COMMENTS [8]
Please note, only GPs are permitted to add comments to articles
I don’t really mind it until 5pm on a Friday when everyone else finishes work and sends a message saying “cough for 5 days no better going to need steroids immediately please send to supermarket pharmacy”
This article shows the inevitable outcome of health policy made from behind a ministerial desk, with little interest in what actually happens in GP surgeries. The Government’s enforced all‑day online access requirement has dragged GPs away from patients and chained them to screens—some losing at least 25% of their face‑to‑face capacity just to process the constant stream of online requests.
Wes Streeting’s refusal to listen to frontline warnings isn’t just arrogance—it’s actively damaging patient care. While he boasts about improving access, practices are in reality losing the equivalent of over 200,000 appointments every single week trying to keep pace with these unworkable rules, driving up workload, stress and waiting times across the board.
Government messaging keeps insisting the profession “agreed” to these changes, yet GP surveys tell a completely different story: reduced face‑to‑face appointments, staff redeployed just to firefight admin, and 74% reporting a surge in workload under these policies. The promised safeguards, which were supposed to prevent unsafe backlogs of online requests, still haven’t appeared.
What this exposes is a widening gulf between political claims and frontline reality. Streeting may celebrate supposed progress on waiting lists, but the lived experience in general practice is one of rising pressure, shrinking capacity, and a Government that appears wilfully blind to the consequences of its own decisions.
What needs fixing first is resources , and not as much more as some think . Once that’s done then digital access can be revolutionary in efficiency gains (despite an initial surge in the current unmet demand ) . Why oh why won’t WES seek out those who thrive with proven successful digital access system. Happy patients who know nothing of the 8am rush, lengthy waits and nothing for 3 weeks experience so rife these days. . Why can’t we expect as the norm only 10% of requests to be for a face to face with their Gp (raised to 30% once rung back and thus allow genuine same Day FTF. Bolt that onto a bold
Move back personal lists (massive efficiency) sharing the resources and expertise of a larger shared practice . Together this would make UK primary care the best worldwide again.
Digital access might seem to be good for those with ability and access to digital devices, though I have yet to see good evidence that this improves outcomes such as continuity and that doesn’t waste more time by doubling patient contact through conversion to F2F appointments.
What we know for certain is that this marginalises and makes access much harder for large numbers of people, especially vulnerable people, and in particular the most needy who are unable to use digital technology or are unable to access it.
I’m shortly to be seeing 100% fewer patients. Early retirement primarily due to having to deal with sh1t government dictats like this.
Our practice has changed 13 1/2 hours of clinical time to extra triage.
Commissioners response to our data showing our very high levels of appointments, demand and triage numbers was to tell us it’s in the contract, do it.
And why create a campaign to stoke more demand? Why does most of the NHS spend its time trying to turn work away or except for when it comes to primary care? I’ve never once seen a campaign to ‘go to the minor injuries unit (ps the funding is with A/E) rather than bother your GP about this’ but I have seen incorrect commissioner led campaigns to persuade the public to attend the GP with minor injuries, despite it being not the best place and not in the contract!
Worth reading A fortunate man or the Citadel to remind ourselves about what general practice was supposed to be about . As a GP for 40 years and now not working as there are no jobs for old dinosaurs it’s sad to see what the job has become . Friends ask advice as they can never see their GP or even get a phone call . I remember when there was not even an appointment system where I worked , people turned up and were seen . You followed your patient from cradle to grave . You knew the families , you were a part of their life . There were no computers or even mobile phones . I remember having to use a phone box to call a patient when out on call and making notes on the call girls cards plastered inside the phone box ! Was it a golden age ? Probably not but it was a life affirming job which I thoroughly enjoyed . Now it’s like a Nintendo game
Being expected to do more, wirh the same resources, does not work.
If you want us ti see fewer patients face to face so that we do more online then just say that. But dont then blame us later, for seeing fewer patients.
We have £x and y hrs and z people and it can only be divided so many ways, without a magic money tree