NHS England has published the patient charter – that stipulates the right of patients including on access and registration – and which GP practices must display from October.
Titled ‘You and Your General Practice‘, the charter includes rules for GP practices and guidance for patients.
The GP contract 2025/26 first mentioned the ‘patient charter’, which set out what patients can expect from their GP and what to do if patient expectations ‘aren’t met’, as well as what is expected of patients.
Further guidelines published to support implementation of the charter state that GP practices must share a link to the document on their website no later than 1 October.
Among the rules for practices, patients must be able to contact their practice in person, via phone, online via the practice website or through the NHS app during working hours from 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday.
If a patient requests an appointment, there is a requirement for the practice team to consider the ‘request for an appointment or medical advice’ and tell them within one working day what will happen next.
A practice ‘cannot tell you to just call back the next day’, the document says.
It also adds: ‘If you need extra help like longer appointments, a quiet space, wheelchair access, or information in a different format, tell your practice and they will try to help.’
The charter informs patients that practices declining to register them must write to them explaining why within 14 days.
‘A practice can only say no for a good reason, like if you live too far away or their patient list is closed.
‘For example, they cannot say no for reasons such as immigration status, not having a permanent address, or for reasons connected with other characteristics protected under equalities legislation’, it says.
The document tells patients with concerns or feedback to speak to the practice manager in the first instance or, if they feel uncomfortable doing so, to contact their local integrated care board (ICB).
It also draws their attention to their local Healthwatch organisations to give feedback about their GP practice.
In turn, patients can ‘help (their) general practice’ by:
- Being prepared for appointments, on time, and cancelling if needed
- Using the NHS App or website for appointments, repeat prescriptions and test results ‘if you’re confident using smart phones or computers’
- Joining a Patient Participation Group
- Ordering repeat prescriptions on time.
Meanwhile, the chair of the BMA’s GP Committee has written to primary care leaders at NHS England to ask them to clarify the requirement to get back to patients within one working day after they have requested an appointment.
Dr Katie Bramall has said although this is already a contractual requirement (see box below) the wording used in the charter – which the GP Committee had not had prior sight of – risked suggesting patients should receive medical advice within that time frame.
She told our sister publication Pulse: ‘When it’s saying things like “oh, practices will respond within one day” – well, hang on, practices absolutely will acknowledge the receipt of a request within one day.
‘But to suggest or infer that there will be a response within one day – that kind of brings with it suggestions of clinical advice, which will be wholly inappropriate.’
She added: ‘I’m sure it’s a mistake, and I’m sure they’d be happy to clarify it.’
NHS England did not provide a comment but explained that although the practice team should consider the request for an appointment or medical advice and tell the patient within one working day what will happen next, this does not mean that the appointment has to be provided on the same day.
It said that a patient should have clarity on what the next step is and when they will be able to see a member of the practice staff if that is the appropriate course of action.
It also pointed out that patients should never be asked to call back another day, as per the contractual requirement since 2023.
What does the GP contract say?
‘Once the patient or representative has contacted the practice by whatever means, the appropriate response must be provided: (a) if the contact is made outside core hours, during the following core hours; (b) in any other case, during the day on which the core hours fall.’
A version of this story was first published by our sister title Pulse
