New figures from NHS England show a large increase in patients using online routes to contact their GP. In September 2025 there were 6.5 million online consultation requests submitted to practices, up from 4.4 million in September 2024. At the same time, GP services continued to provide face-to-face care, with 20.1 million in-person appointments in September 2025.
From 1 October, all GP practices in England are required to keep an online consultation platform available during working hours for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries and administrative matters. Practices will continue to offer telephone, walk-in and face-to-face access, and people with urgent needs can still call or attend in person.
Office for National Statistics data indicate online contact has become the most common way patients reach their GP, overtaking phone calls. NHS England also reports that seven in ten adults now say it is easy to get through to their practice, compared with six in ten in 2024.
Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England’s national director for primary care and community services, says expanded online services and upgraded telephone systems free up phone lines for urgent cases and better suit busy lives. Health Secretary Wes Streeting welcomed the shift, noting that patients expect online convenience and that the government has provided an extra £1.1 billion in funding and support to help practices adapt. NHS England is offering additional support to practices that are finding it difficult to meet the new contract requirement.
Practices report practical benefits. Sheffield’s Steel City practice says its online system has largely removed the traditional 8am rush, making mornings less hectic and enabling staff to manage queries more securely and efficiently. Practice manager Josie Matthews and GP partner Dr Krishna Kasaraneni describe digital triage tools, such as asking for photos of a child’s rash, as helpful for deciding quickly whether a face-to-face appointment or urgent hospital care is needed. Steel City has used online consultations for more than two years and applies the same clinical approach to phone, walk-in and online contacts so patients receive consistent care regardless of contact method.
Almost every GP practice in England has upgraded telephone systems to make it easier for patients to get through, and NHS England continues to support practices to ensure online request routes are available during opening hours.
