A third of GP appointments in England are now conducted remotely, the highest proportion since the pandemic, according to latest NHS data. In June 2025, 33.3% of appointments were not face-to-face, up from 30.9% in June 2024 and 28.3% in June 2023. The majority of remote appointments are by phone, but online consultations—including video calls and live chat—have risen sharply, accounting for 8.0% of all appointments in June 2025, compared to 1.5% two years earlier.
Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams expressed concern that older people are struggling to access GP services due to reliance on online or telephone triage systems. She warned that those who are offline or have hearing or cognitive impairments may never get offered a face-to-face appointment, as they fail to navigate initial triage processes. “It’s crucial that we ensure that triage systems in GP practices do not inadvertently become impenetrable barriers for some older people who want and need to see a doctor,” she said.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, defended remote consultations, noting they offer convenience and are safe in most cases. However, she acknowledged that many patients prefer in-person care, which still accounts for the majority of appointments. The NHS England has instructed GP practices to offer face-to-face appointments to anyone who wants one, but increasingly patients must first have a remote consultation before being invited in.
An NHS England spokesperson said: “Every GP practice must offer face-to-face appointments where patients want or need them, and many patients choose remote appointments where it is clinically appropriate and more convenient for them.” The Department of Health and Social Care added that the government is transforming the NHS app to make online healthcare management easier, and has recruited over 2,000 additional GPs in the last year, delivering seven million more appointments.
