This news will come as music to a lot of people’s ears.
Patients in the UK will be able to book more appointments online and request to see their usual doctor under a new contract agreed with GPs in England, the government has said.
The deal, agreed yesterday between the government and the British Medical Association (BMA), will come into effect from October 2025 and aims to free doctors from red tape to concentrate on treating patients.
The agreement will also bring about an end to the “8am scramble” for appointments, a requirement heavily criticised by members of the public who have been left waiting months to see their doctors at times.
Under the new contract, nearly half of the targets that GPs have had to face will be scrapped, allowing doctors to spend more time treating patients.
The measures are backed by an extra £889 million for general practice, bringing total spend on the GP contract to £13.2bn in 2025/26.
Commenting on the deal, Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “Rebuilding the broken NHS starts with GPs.
“Patients need to be able to easily book an appointment, in the manner they want, with their regular doctor if they choose.”
He continued: “Today, we have taken the first step to fixing the front door to the NHS, bringing back the family doctor, and ending the 8am scramble.
“Over the past decade, funding for GPs has been cut relative to the rest of the NHS, while the number of targets for GPs has soared. That’s why patients are struggling to get an appointment.
“This government is cutting the red tape that ties up GPs time and backing them with an extra £889 million next year.
“In return, more patients will be able to request appointments online and see their regular doctor for each appointment.”
By allowing patients to book appointments online, the new contract aims to modernise general practice and make it easier for practices to triage patients based on medical need.
Patients will also be provided with clearer information about the care they can expect to receive through the online patient charter – including the services available to them.
