Any general practitioner in the UK now has to reserve an online appointment every morning “8am Scramble”.
From October 1, it is necessary to keep your online consulting tool for its long -term work for non -instant appointment, pharmaceutical queries and open manager requests.
The change was announced in February as part of the new treaty contract for 2025-2026, with the Ministry of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the British NHS that the action would “depend on the necessary security to prevent immediate clinical requests online”.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has opposed programs and has warned that serious health issues can potentially lose.
This argues that these promised security have not been used and that no other employees have entered the management of what is anticipated “obstructing online requests”.
According to the union, there are fears that could lead to a “hospital -style waiting list” in public practice and “reducing face -to -face appointments”.
This has said that this can endanger patient safety because employees are trying to find the most urgent, fear of reviewing online requests.
BMA said Monday that it considers the industrial action.
Many surgeries currently have a system that allows patients to apply for online advice, while employees review these and book appointments.
However, according to DHSC, there is instability, with some surgeries decide to turn off performance in crowded periods.
“We promised to deal with the 8am and make access to patients easier – and that’s exactly what we offer,” said Care Minister Stephen Kinok.
“We bring our analog health services to digital and give patients more comfortable. We have learned from GPS that they already provide this service and get rewards.”
This is followed by a announcement of a NHS online hospital unveiled by the government of Sir Kier Starmer at the Labor Party Conference on Monday, with patients accessing medical care from “convenience of their home or their desk”.
“People will be able to use the” virtual hospital “to talk to professionals from 2027, while those who prefer face -to -face appointments will still be able to have them,” said the Minister of Health.
Sir Kiester also mentioned the online change in his speech at the Labor Party conference, saying NHS Online would digitally deliver “millions of appointments”.
The prime minister announced the new service that the government will not destroy the “never” face -to -face advice for those who want “.
“Think about the single mother’s grandmother, try to find your time to talk to a specialist or a person in your years, you will be willing to live in a rural community, which requires an examination for a suspicious situation,” she said.
“Why does the doctor not see you at home in your living room in an iPad, talk to you? Without queue, a three -hour bus trip, no cancellation letter arrives after the appointment date.”
The government estimates that moving to a virtual hospital will create 8.5 million additional appointments over three years.
“At the beginning of this year, the government promised the general practitioners to provide the necessary protection that enables the practices to work safely and prevent patient injuries with online consultation and other IT changes,” said Dr. Kitty Barmal, chairman of the BMA GP Committee. Unfortunately, this has not happened.
“Despite repeated warnings about the potential risks, the government has refused to listen and surgery because of the physician’s concerns about patient safety,” he said.
“We can only hope that no life -threatening issue will be lost or delayed, but when we make one million across the country every day, it is a very real and current danger.”
He added that general practitioners are “frightened” who, if drowned in online requests, divert patients to phones and insist that their concerns are “patient safety”.
“To say that it is” absurd “that is more difficult to make a GP appointment than” booking a hairstyle “, it shows a deep misunderstanding of how public functioning and how it is impressed and impressed for 14 months for its power.”
