Higher proportion now contacting GPs in England online, figures show
More people in England are now contacting their GP practice online rather than by phone, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Data covering three weeks from mid-September show just over 43 percent of people went online to contact their doctor; This is an increase of one percentage point from the previous month, compared to 41 percent on the phone.
This comes after the government required all NHS practices to provide web bookings from October. The government says more than eight million people used online advice services in October, up by a fifth on the previous month.
The British Medical Association suggested that this move could cause surgeries to fall below demand and said patients could be put at risk.
He is in a formal dispute with the government over the changes.
But Health Secretary Wes Streeting heralded the latest figures as a “major step” towards fulfilling the government’s promise to end the “8am appointment scramble”.
Data from the ONS showed 43.3 per cent of people contacted their doctor online, including via the NHS app or local GP’s website, between 16 September and 9 October.
The government has mandated that online appointment bookings must be made between 08:30 and 18:00, Monday to Friday.
The Department of Health says almost all GP practices in England now offer the service. In addition to requesting non-urgent consultations, patients can ask questions, describe symptoms and request a call back.
NHS England said it is now easier for patients to contact GPs online and figures reveal the popularity of the practice.
But the BMA says patients are being put at risk because urgent requests are not being prioritized and practices are overloaded.
Deputy chairman of the BMA’s UK General Practice Committee, Dr. “The government has only increased the potential for patient safety issues to arise,” David Wrigley said.
“The software does not filter the routine from urgent requests,” he added.
Patient group Healthwatch England also raised concerns, saying some people were not adequately informed about the changes, particularly that online booking should not be used for emergencies.
They also reported practices that limited online bookings to the morning and said people with less digital literacy found the system difficult to navigate.
