From 1 October 2025, patients will be able to make unlimited urgent and non-urgent online consultation requests from 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, despite no additional workforce to manage the predicted increased volume in activity.

The BMA says online systems currently cannot distinguish between non-urgent and urgent patient queries, and with practices already understaffed and overworked, GPs fear this could lead to potentially serious and life-threatening problems being delayed or missed entirely. Doctors will need to be reallocated away from booked appointments to manage the 'potential online triage tsunami' leading to fewer GP appointments with patients.

BMA GP committee chair, Dr Katie Bramall, said: ‘We agreed to these changes on the condition that ‘necessary safeguards' would be put in place before Wednesday 1 October. This was agreed – in writing – with Government, DHSC, and NHSE in February this year. Now almost eight months later, it is deeply disappointing to see promises broken. We have worked incredibly hard to rebuild the trust between our exhausted profession and the Government, but now what are England's GPs and practice teams supposed to think?

‘The secretary of state knows that when these changes come into effect it will likely lead to the creation of hospital-style waiting lists in general practice, reduce face-to-face GP appointments - as we'll be triaging a barrage of online requests, consequently putting patients at risk of harm as we try to find the urgent cases among the huge pile of unmet patient need that's out there.

‘Mr Streeting needs to listen to us and understand how we believe GPs can deliver his ambitions safely. General practice is the leader in NHS tech innovation, we do everything online from systems to prescriptions, referrals and appointments. We're not resistant to change, but we will be when the safety of patients and practice staff is at risk. The Government has 48 hours to change course, avoid this dispute, and keep to their promises.'