GP practices improve access by embracing technology and increasing appointments
Around 3 in 4 patients find it easy to contact a GP, up more than 10% since last summer as the NHS drives to improve access.
Almost every (99%) GP practice in England now has a digital telephone system in place to make it easier for people to get through to their family doctor.
Office for National Statistics figures show this is helping, with 72% of people saying it was easy or very easy to contact their GP, compared to 60% in July 2024.
New NHS figures (published Thursday 29 May) show that there were 29.3 million GP appointments in April 2025 – up almost a fifth (19.1%) on the same period pre-pandemic (April 2019).
Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services said: “It’s brilliant news that more people find it easy to contact a GP, because improving access to general practice is an NHS priority and vital for patients as GP teams deliver more than 29 million appointments every month – up almost 5 million since before the pandemic.
“For some patients, going online to contact their GP practice can be more convenient and so it’s great to see practices, such as the Village Health Group, making advances in the use of technology to support this shift for people who are confident and have digital access.
“But we know there’s still more to do to make it easier for patients to contact and see their local GP team, which includes making even better use of new technology to improve patient care.
“Patients can also use the NHS app to order repeat prescriptions and view their test results without needing to contact their family doctor first.”
Health Minister Ashley Dalton said: “Rebuilding the broken NHS starts with GPs. Patients need to be able to easily book an appointment, and in the manner they want.
“These figures show our Plan for Change is working – and the best is still to come. We backed our NHS with a record £26 billion at the budget, including £889 million for general practice.
“This kind of investment coupled with reform means we’ll keep seeing these improvements – as we shift our health service from analogue to digital.”
Case study – Village Health Group
One practice in South Nottinghamshire – the Village Health Group (VHG) – has focused on triage, offering patients more face-to-face appointments and ensuring people can see the same GP, if appropriate.
The practice uses e-consultations with all requests triaged by a doctor and all patients receiving a same day response.
Patients can still call for an appointment, and the receptionist helps those without internet access to fill out a triage form.
Questionnaires can also be completed on the practice’s website.
Dr Oliver Puar, GP partner at VHG, said: “We introduced a total triage system with the aim to improve access for our patients, improve patient continuity and make every contact count.
“The triage system has been in place for almost 12 months and the data shows that we are offering substantially more face-to-face appointments and increasing patient continuity which we know leads to better health outcomes.
“Our patients now have an increased choice in when and where they are seen which has improved access to our services and increased patient satisfaction. Our 2025 patient survey shows 88% of our patients being totally satisfied compared to 73% in 2023.”
VHG is a large, semi-rural practice which has around 28,000 patients, covers 4 villages and was created from the merger of 2 practices in 2020.
Prior to total triage, VHG had 4 receptions with 4 different phone lines and admin teams based at each site.
When triage was implemented, VHG streamlined their teams; they now have 1 main reception hub alongside the triage hub, which has allowed them to align processes and improve team working.
Patient 1 said: “The online service is brilliant. In the last week I’ve messaged twice, once with a change in prescription and the other with a reoccurring issue and both were dealt with within 5 minutes of the message being sent. It’s so quick and easy.”
Patient 2 said: “The new online system is fast, efficient and reliable. I’m happy that I did not have to queue on the telephone for ages at 8am. The response was quick, and it was great that I didn’t have to wait around to see a doctor for a quick assessment.”
Distribution channels: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Industry
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