Online patient requests to GP practices have risen by more than a fifth in the first month of new contractual access requirements, shows NHS England data.
New NHS England figures on online requests show that 8.3 million patient submissions were received by GP practices during October, up 21% on the previous month and up more than two thirds (68%) on last year.
Contractual changes were brought in on 1 October which require practices to ensure online requests can be submitted between 8am to 6.30pm.
Releasing the first set of data since the new requirements came into force, the commissioner said that ‘around one in three online requests’ were for ‘non-clinical reasons’ such as admin requests and repeat prescriptions, while 5.5 million were ‘clinical in nature’.
It follows GP concerns that the new requirements around online requests risk compromising patient safety, with patients reporting breathing difficulties, severe vomiting, acute abdominal and chest pain, and rectal bleeding through online forms.
NHSE said that the suppliers of online consultation systems provided the data on behalf of the practices that they serve, and which have agreed to participate in the collection, but that some system suppliers are ‘not yet able to provide data’.
The data also shows that in October 5,894 practices received at least one submission from patients via their online consultation systems, and that participating practices received 135.8 submissions per 1,000 registered patients.
Separate data also showed GP practices received 31 million phone calls in October, more than a million each working day.
Last month, NHS England released figures showing 6.5 million online submissions to GPs in September 2025, compared with 4.4 million a year ago – a 48.9% increase.
The latest figures showed online has become patients’ primary method of contacting GPs, beating phone access for the first time – but this was only for prescription requests.
NHS England primary care director Dr Amanda Doyle said: ‘Today’s figures show that millions of people each week are choosing to get in touch with their GP online, which also helps free up phone lines for those who can’t, or prefer not to use online consultation requests.
‘Anyone who wants to contact their practice by phone can still do so, and all practices have upgraded their telephone systems, so it is now easier too for people who prefer to use this route, with reception desks open for people to walk in.’
Primary care minister Stephen Kinnock said: ‘These figures show the NHS is modernising at pace to fit around patients’ lives. We promised to tackle the 8am scramble and make it easier for patients to access GPs – and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.’
The Doctors’ Association GP spokesperson Dr Steve Taylor told Pulse: ‘It’s important that context is always given when government bodies and ministers share information. There has been an increase in online requests (not necessarily appointments as administrative requests are included) between September and October from 6.5m to 8m, 21%.
‘But importantly the increase in appointments was from 32 million to 39 million. So a much bigger increase in the number of non-online work. GPs have been asking for help and this shows the magnitude of the problem. This is not the time for Government to walk away and turn away from the issues.’
GP practices are spending time equivalent to more than 200,000 appointments a week implementing new online access changes, which is increasing waiting times for patients and working hours for staff as a result.
The BMA has formally entered a dispute with the Government over the changes and GP leaders recently voted in favour of refusing to engage with the requirements as part of collective action against the Government.
A version of this story first appeared on our sister title Pulse.
