NHS accused of 'fobbing off' patients with digital GP appointments

The NHS has been accused of "fobbing off" patients after figures showed one in three GP appointments were carried out over the phone or online in June - the highest proportion since the pandemic. This was up from 30.9% a year earlier and 28.3% in June 2023, according to analysis of official data published by the health service. Critics said the creep towards more digital appointments could worsen problems with access for elderly patients.

Dennis Reed, director of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, said: "This problem will never be solved until there is a legal right for patients to have a timely face to face appointment with their GP. Too often older patients are fobbed off with a telephone call or an appointment with another member of practice staff when they really want, and need, a face-to-face appointment."

Mr Reed also accused GPs of arranging telephone calls "for their own convenience" despite research showing in-person appointments are generally safer.

However, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), said remote consultations were safe in the "vast majority of cases".

As many as four in 10 appointments were carried out by phone or online during the pandemic, but the proportion fell once the impact of Covid-19 eased and had dropped to 27.7% in January 2023.

In the past two years the figure has risen slowly but steadily, driven by a sharp increase in consultations taking place online.

These accounted for only 1.5% of all GP appointments in June 2023 but had jumped to 4.9% by June 2024 and 8.0% in June this year.

The figure for telephone appointments has remained broadly unchanged over this period, at around a quarter.

Prof Hawthorne said: "Often a GP might initially consult with a patient remotely and then ask them to come into the practice if it's necessary to see them in person.

"However, we also know that many patients prefer to access their care in-person, and this is how the majority of appointments are still delivered.

"Over the last 12 months, GPs and their teams have delivered a record-breaking number of appointments, and nearly 250 million were carried out in person."

Some 63.3% of GP appointments in June in England were in person, down from 65.3% a year earlier and 68.4% in June 2023.

Online appointments include those carried out using live chat tools or non-video apps, as well as video-based calls.

The proportion of appointments taking place by phone or online varies across the regions, with the figures for June ranging from 38.2% in London to 28.4% in North East and Yorkshire.

Prof Hawthorne said the college "supports a mixed-method approach to delivering care" in general practice and decisions on how appointments are carried out are between clinicians and patients.

"What's key is that when GPs are consulting with their patients remotely, they have access to the robust and up-to-date IT systems that allows them to do so safely and effectively," she added.

Prof Hawthorne said the Government "has put forward some encouraging proposals to improve the GP practice digital infrastructure and IT systems" but "significant investment" is needed to make this a reality.

She added: "The college has called for additional funding of at least £2 billion to ensure our physical and digital infrastructure is fit for purpose so we can offer patients the appointment that's right for them."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We've made real progress fixing the front door of the NHS, recruiting more than 2,000 GPs in the last year and delivering an additional seven million GP appointments to improve access for patients.

"Through our 10 Year Health Plan we are delivering Neighbourhood Health Services that deliver more personalised, proactive care in local areas where it is more convenient for patients."

An NHS England spokesperson said: "Every GP practice must offer face-to-face appointments where patients want or need them, and many patients choose remote appointments where it is clinically appropriate and more convenient for them."