More patients in England will be able to book appointments online under a new contract agreed with GPs, the government has announced.
The government has confirmed the first contract agreement in four years to improve GP practices. The deal gives general practices an extra £889m of funding a year.
The government has promised to improve the 8am phone “scramble” for GP appointments, and bring back the family doctor.
Ministers said the deal would also allow doctors to see more patients by slashing red tape and cutting box ticking targets.
This funding will reverse years of under investment in England’s practices, with the biggest doctor’s union, the British Medical Association, approving the new deal.
The agreed contract will work towards modernising general practice. It will allow patients to request appointments online, freeing up the phone for those requiring it the most from October.
The UK’s Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “Rebuilding the broken NHS starts with GPs. Patients need to be able to easily book an appointment, in the manner they want, with their regular doctor if they choose.”
The extra funding will bring total spend on the GP’s contract to £13.2 billion in 2025-26.
The government is removing nearly half of GP targets, allowing doctors more time to treat patients.
Patients will also get clearer service information online, and incentives will help more people see the same doctor consistently.
Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England national director for primary care and community services, said: “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 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.”