The data shows GP practices also received 31 million phone calls in October – more than a million each working day.

Millions of appointments are still being delivered in general practice every week, with a record 39 million in October 2025, including tens of thousands for Covid-19 vaccines.

Dr Amanda Doyle said: ‘Most people now manage their lives using technology – so it makes sense for people to be able to manage their healthcare online in the same way.

'Today's figures show that millions of people each week are choosing to get in touch with their GP online, which also helps free up phone lines for those who can't, or prefer not to use online consultation requests.'

Minister of state for care, Stephen Kinnock, said: ‘These figures show the NHS is modernising at pace to fit around patients' lives. We promised to tackle the 8am scramble and make it easier for patients to access GPs - and that's exactly what we're delivering.'

He added: ‘It will take time, but we are bringing our analogue NHS into the digital age - and patient satisfaction with GP access has increased from 60% in July 2024 to 75% today highlighting the difference this government is making.'