New NHS plans to make GP appointments available in the evening and on weekends

As reported by The Independent, from October every GP surgery across England will be required to make changes and increase its availability

As of October 2022, patients in England will be able to see a GP on Saturdays and in the evenings, according to new plans set out by NHS England.

The “enhanced access” changes will make GPs available between nine a.m. and five p.m. on Saturdays, as well as until eight p.m. on weekdays.

Patients will also be able to access other services out-of-hours such as screenings, vaccinations and health checks.

Each hub of GP surgeries, or Primary Care Networks, are required to offer these services from October. To accommodate the extra services and time, patients may have to attend a different surgery during the out-of-hours appointments.

In order to improve waiting times and remove the need for patients to spend long periods on the phone, at least 25% of GP appointments will be made available to book online.

The NHS has stated these changes are “in line with patient preference and need”.

That said, a number of leading doctors have expressed “bitter disappointment” over the contract changes. The British Medical Association claimed it was in negotiations with the NHS regarding the plans, but that the announcement was published before an agreement could be reached.

Dr Farah Jameel, BMA England GP committee chair, commented on the proposals. “We are bitterly disappointed that NHS England has chosen to ignore the appeals from the profession and the needs of patients in the letter.

“Despite our best efforts to outline a number of positive and constructive solutions that would make a difference to practices’ ability to improve care for patients, NHS England has instead decided to follow a path laid out three years ago, long before the arrival of Covid-19, and roll over a contract that fails to address the current pressures faced by general practice.”

NHS medical director for primary care and a GP, Dr Nikki Kanani said: “Our general practice teams have been working flat out throughout the pandemic to care for patients, and it is their huge efforts that have meant the NHS could protect millions of people at speed through the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

“The NHS is focused on recovering services and tackling the COVID-19 backlogs that have inevitably built up over the pandemic and so as part of the contract for general practice in 2022/23, extra funding will be given to primary care teams to increase checks for cancer and heart conditions for our patients.

“The contract for general practice will also see an increase in staff to treat more patients including more mental health practitioners and the option to book some appointments, such as for cervical screening, online for the first time, so please do not hesitate coming forward for care if you need it.”