Overview

• Official NHS data show that 33.3% of GP consultations in England were remote in June, marking the highest rate since the pandemic and ranging from 38.2% in London to 28.4% in the North East and Yorkshire.
• Online consultations have surged to 8% of all appointments, up from 4.9% a year earlier, while telephone appointments have remained at approximately 25%.
• NHS England has mandated that patients must be offered face-to-face GP appointments upon request, typically after completing an initial remote triage.
• The Department of Health and Social Care reports recruiting more than 2,000 GPs in the past year and delivering an additional 7 million appointments to boost access.
• Age UK and the Royal College of GPs are calling for at least £2 billion in digital infrastructure investment to safeguard patient safety and address digital exclusion.