GP phone lines across the country will be freed up as practices are now required to keep their online consultation tools running throughout the day, in a major step towards the government’s ambition of ending the 8am scramble.
From Wednesday (1 October 2025), patients will be able to request appointments, ask questions, and describe symptoms online throughout the day rather than calling their surgery or visiting in person.
This will help free up practice phone lines for those who need them most and make it more convenient to access appointments.
Online access is not consistent across the country and is especially difficult in overlooked areas. Some GP practices turn online requests off when they reach a certain number, while others only have the online function available for a few hours a day.
When patients can’t get through on the phone, 6.6% end up in A&E – which is worse for them and more expensive for the taxpayer. By fixing the front door of the NHS, these reforms will help to ease pressures on other parts of the health service, the government said.
“We promised to tackle the 8 am scramble and make it easier for patients to access their GP practice – and through our Plan for Change, that’s exactly what we’re delivering,” said Care Minister Stephen Kinnock.
“We are bringing our analogue health service into the digital era, giving patients greater choice and convenience. We’ve learned from GPs who are already offering this service and reaping the rewards.”
A major investment
To ensure all GPs provide this service and meet demand, the government is providing unprecedented support for general practice and shifting care and vital resources to the community. This includes investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice – the biggest increase in over a decade – and hiring an extra 2,000 GPs since July 2024.
This has led to five million more appointments being delivered this year compared to last, with latest ONS data showing three in four patients now find it easy to contact their practice, the government said.
Online patient submissions have grown significantly, with almost six million submissions in July 2025 compared to 3.4 million in July 2024, demonstrating growing patient preference for digital access options that fit around their daily lives.
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