Online GP consultations reached peak in August 2024

Online and video GP consultations reached a peak in August 2024 with 5% of patients seen virtually, according to NHS England data.

An analysis by the PA news agency found that the proportion of GP appointments delivered by video or online rose from 1% in May 2023 to 5.2% in August 2024.

The percentage of GP appointments carried out in person fell from 70.8% in October 2023 to 64.8% by August 2024.

However the proportion of appointments carried out over the phone was 26.1% in August this year and has held steady for much of the past 12 months.

Dr Rachel Ward, a GP and member of the Rebuild General Practice campaign group, said: “GPs are seeing more patients than ever before – providing 27.6 million total appointments in August alone.

“We have been ringing the alarm bell for years, saying that the profession needs to retain its GPs, receive fairer funding, and have greater autonomy.

“Where we can offer online appointments – and importantly, when patients themselves want them – we will do so.

“This is often more convenient for our patients and allows us to see all patients more quickly and equally as effectively.

“For those patients who need or request an in-person appointment, we ensure that this is respected and that patients receive the care they want and deserve.

“The crux of the issue is not about online appointments – it’s about having enough GPs to begin with.”

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “Many patients prefer the convenience and flexibility that remote consultations – whether delivered over the phone or via video – can offer, and evidence has also shown that in the vast majority of cases, remote care is safe.”

She added: “What’s key is that when GPs are consulting with their patients remotely, they have access to the robust and up-to-date hardware and software that allows them to do so safely and effectively.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Patients who prefer a face-to-face appointment should have one and we are also committed to shifting care from analogue to digital, which includes offering patients digital appointments when and where they need one.

“We will get primary care back on its feet, shifting the focus out of hospitals and into the community, fixing the front door of the NHS and ending the misery of people unable to get a GP appointment”.

A report from the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB), published in July 2024,  found that patient safety incidents relating to the use of online consultation tools by GPs have been underreported.

HSSIB launched an investigation in June 2023, exploring whether online consultation tools have contributed to risks to patient safety.

Meanwhile, in June 2024, NHSE announced the cancellation of its £300m digital pathways framework, which was aimed at driving modern general practice model by connecting ICBs with approved suppliers for digital GP tools for messaging, consultations and care navigation.