Doctors are raising alarms that recent changes to General Practitioner (GP) appointment booking systems, mandated by the Labour party, have put patient safety at risk by decreasing the number of face-to-face consultations. The new regulations, which took effect on October 1, require all GP practices in England to accept online booking requests and patient queries during weekday business hours.
A survey conducted by journals Pulse and Management In Practice found that one-third of the 330 GPs and 242 practice managers polled reported being compelled to reduce in-person appointments as a direct result of the online booking mandate. Furthermore, 25 percent of respondents believe the changes have jeopardized patient safety, citing that remote patient interactions make it more difficult for GPs to detect symptoms of serious illnesses, including cancer.
Data from NHS England indicates a downward trend in face-to-face GP appointments, with a corresponding rise in appointments conducted via phone or online platforms. In June, 60.2 percent of appointments were conducted in person, a decrease from 62.9 percent in June 2025 and 64.9 percent in June 2024.
Patient advocacy groups, Members of Parliament, and the British Medical Association (BMA) have all voiced concerns about the potential risks associated with these changes. Dr. Manu Agrawal, deputy chairman of the BMA’s GP committee, stated that the survey results align with the committee's view that the online request system is unsafe.
In response to these concerns, the Department of Health and Social Care noted that 2,000 additional GPs have been recruited since July 2024. The department emphasized that GPs are still mandated to offer face-to-face appointments in addition to remote consultations. NHS England reported that GPs conducted one million more face-to-face consultations in June compared to the same month in the previous year.