Major adjustments are set to take place at GP practices starting next month. These changes will see GPs keeping their online consultation tool available during core hours for non-urgent appointment requests, medication inquiries, and administrative needs. Additionally, practices will need to ensure the functionality in GP Connect for community registered professionals to send consultation summaries into the GP practice workflow, aiming to reduce administrative burdens for general practice teams.

Dr. Tim Mercer, known for sharing medical advice on TikTok, clarified in a video that the decision for these changes originates from NHS England, not individual practices. The new guidelines stipulate that GPs must be accessible from 8 am to 6:30 pm, Monday to Friday, via various channels including in-person visits, phone calls, online consultations, or through the NHS app.

Under the new system, patients will no longer receive appointments far in advance but will instead have their requests triaged by GPs within one working day. This change aims to provide faster responses and more immediate care options, such as same-day appointments, phone consultations, or referrals to other healthcare services as needed.

NHS England emphasizes that practices will prioritize care based on each patient’s clinical requirements and cannot simply ask patients to call back the next day. The NHS also suggests that patients may be offered face-to-face appointments, phone consultations with GPs, or interactions with other healthcare professionals like nurses or pharmacists, with the option for carers to represent patients with consent.

Overall, these modifications aim to enhance patient access to timely and appropriate healthcare services while streamlining administrative processes for GP practices.