Key Takeaways

• GP appointments can be requested online starting October 2025, following a new contract between the government and the BMA.
• The contract eliminates 32 out of 76 reporting targets for GPs, intending to reduce bureaucracy and enhance patient care.
• An additional £889 million in funding is allocated to primary care, aiming to modernize services and improve patient access.

Changes to GP Access and Funding

Starting in October 2025, patients will gain the ability to request appointments with their general practitioners (GPs) online, as part of a significant reform agreed upon between the UK government and the British Medical Association (BMA) on February 27, 2025. This initiative aims to alleviate administrative burdens on healthcare providers, allowing them to focus more on their patients.

The new GP contract will remove nearly half of the existing performance targets—specifically, 32 out of 76 targets—that GPs must currently meet. This includes a specific target for practices to assess their staff’s access to IT systems. The intended outcome of these changes is to streamline processes for healthcare providers, thus improving access to care for patients.

To support these transformations, an additional £889 million will be invested in general practice. This funding increases the overall budget for the GP contract to £13.2 billion for the fiscal year 2025/26. Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasized the necessity of improving accessibility to GPs, noting that past funding cuts and an increase in bureaucratic targets have made it challenging for patients to secure appointments.

In Streeting’s words, “Rebuilding the broken NHS starts with GPs… Today, we have taken the first step to fixing the front door to the NHS.” He highlighted the importance of allowing patients to book appointments in a way that suits them and maintaining continuity of care with their regular doctors.

The introduction of online appointment requests is part of a broader effort to modernize general practice and enhance the ability of GP practices to triage patients according to medical necessity. Patients will also benefit from a new patient charter that will outline the care they can expect, including a detailed presentation of services.

Dr. Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, described the commitment to enhancing patient access to general practice as a priority. She remarked, “This contract sets out the next steps to put the family doctor at the heart of the shift to a neighbourhood health service.” Additionally, the contract introduces more flexibility in recruiting additional roles within GP teams, designed to ensure better patient care.

Feedback from citizens reflects a pressing need to address issues surrounding access to primary care. A majority of participants in the government’s Change NHS online portal have indicated that resolving difficulties in accessing primary care is one of their top priorities. Furthermore, a poll by The Health Foundation revealed that 38% of the public considers access to primary care the most pressing health concern.

Overall, the new GP contract is a response to ongoing demands for improved healthcare access and efficiency, aiming to restore trust in primary healthcare services across the UK.

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