Deal Ends 8am Rush for GP Appointments

GPs across England have agreed to new contract changes that aim to "bring back the family doctor" and put an end to the morning rush for appointments, according to the Government.

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The British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors' trade union, and the Government reached an agreement on Thursday which includes an additional ￡889million in funding for 2025 to 2026. The Department of Health and Social Care stated that the new contract would "free up doctors from red tape and box-ticking targets", enabling them to concentrate on patient care.

Health and Social Care Secretary The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP announced the agreement, stating that "rebuilding the broken NHS" starts with GPs and patients should be able to book appointments easily, in their preferred manner and with their regular doctor if desired. Among the reforms is a mandate for GP surgeries to allow patients to request appointments online from October this year to free up phone lines for urgent inquiries and help end the 8am rush to schedule appointments over the phone.

Targets such as those requiring practices to report on staff wellbeing meetings and explain how they are reviewing staff access to IT systems have been scrapped to enable doctors to spend more time treating patients. GPs are set to receive a boost, with incentives to ensure patients can regularly see their familiar family doctor, thus eliminating the frustrating early morning rush for appointments. Mr Streeting expressed his optimism about the plan: "Today, we have taken the first step to fixing the front door to the NHS, bringing back the family doctor, and ending the 8am scramble."

He went on to highlight the neglect of primary care in recent years, stating, "Over the past decade, funding for GPs has been cut relative to the rest of the NHS, while the number of targets for GPs has soared. That's why patients are struggling to get an appointment. This government is cutting the red tape that ties up GPs' time and backing them with an extra ￡889 million next year.", reports Bristol Live.

In exchange, he said, "In return, more patients will be able to request appointments online and see their regular doctor for each appointment."

The agreement marks a significant development since it's the first time in four years that reforms to GP contracts have been mutual between the government and GP representatives. The move is seen as a 'reset of relations' following recent disputes and is welcomed by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Dr Amanda Doyle from NHS England hailed the consensus: "This is the first time in four years that the GP contract has been accepted as proposed and I hope it will be seen as positive for practices, GP teams and patients when introduced in April.

"It shows how NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are have listened and delivered on the priorities that matter most to patients and general practice teams, including a significant increase in funding and extra flexibility in the additional roles reimbursement scheme to recruit more staff including GPs."

The BMA's GP Committee for England chairwoman Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer said previous governments had "driven general practice to desperation with patients bearing the brunt of years of chronic underfunding", but the changes "mark a turning point". She said: "The green shoots of recovery will be seen when we start to see a fall in the numbers of practices being forced to close – closures that leave patients waiting far too long to see their GP.

"However, the Government must now recognise the imperative to deliver a new contract within the current Parliament for meaningful reform and vital investment. Only then can we keep the front door of our NHS open, provide timely patient care, and alleviate pressure across our entire health service."

The changes will help to "ease pressures" on other parts of the NHS, including A&E, the Department of Health said, and form part of the government's Plan for Change for wider healthcare reform.