A GP online consultation is, at its core, a way for patients to initiate contact with their practice digitally – by submitting symptom questionnaires, requesting a call-back, or engaging through a secure messaging platform rather than always phoning or attending in person. It’s become far more common than it used to be. I remember the first time I used one: I had a minor query late in the evening and simply filled a short form, and by morning I had a response. It felt unexpectedly smooth.
In the wider picture, digital tools are reshaping how primary care in the NHS England (and more broadly across the UK) operates. They are aiming to reduce bottlenecks, improve patient experience and help practices cope with rising demand. It might not be the perfect solution for every situation, but it does feel like a significant part of the future of primary care.
Why GP online consultation matters
From the patient’s perspective, the idea of an online consultation with GP is appealing for a number of reasons. Convenience ranks high. Many people juggle work, childcare, caring responsibilities or simply have shorter windows where they can make a phone call to their practice. Being able to log in, complete a form when it suits them (perhaps after dinner or early in the morning) is a real benefit.
Accessibility is another factor. Some patients may struggle with calling in at peak times; others may find the act of describing symptoms in a structured online form easier than trying to remember everything in a hurried phone call. Many practices report that offering an online route improves patient satisfaction, especially with younger or more digitally aware populations.
And time saving (for both the patient and the practice) is an important element. If you can skip the hold queue, avoid the time travelling to the surgery or sitting in reception, that’s a plus. But, to be clear, online consultation is not a universal answer to access issues; it comes with caveats (which we’ll cover later).
Benefits for practices
Practices adopting online consultation systems start to see a number of operational advantages. Off the top:
- Less admin time is needed for routine enquiries – some queries can be handled quickly via messages, rather than a full appointment
- Reduced pressure on phone lines – when fewer patients need to call to book or describe their issue, the front desk can operate more smoothly
- Improved triage – when a system captures symptom details upfront, it gives clinicians better information earlier, allowing smarter decision making about whether a telephone call, an online message, or a face to face appointment is required
And there’s the hybrid model: many practices now combine the online route with a GP telephone consultation NHS option. For example, the workflow might begin with an online form, followed by a telephone call if needed. This flexibility means patients who are comfortable with digital can go that way, while those who prefer direct human contact aren’t disadvantaged.
What we find interesting (and from discussions with practice staff we’ve heard this) is that sometimes the online form acts almost as a triage assistant: it gives the clinician a preview of the issue, might surface questions that otherwise wouldn’t have been asked, and thereby helps prioritise. That said, implementing a system isn’t automatic magic (it requires good workflow, staff buy in, and integration with existing practice systems).
How it works in practice
In a typical practice that uses an online consultation system the route might look like this:
- Patient request: The patient logs on (via the practice website or portal) and completes a form describing their symptoms, condition or query. They might also upload attachments (e.g. images) or choose a category
- Triage: A clinician or trained member of the team reviews the submission, assesses urgency and appropriateness of response, decides whether it can be resolved digitally or needs a telephone/face to face appointment
- Consultation: The practice then follows up: sometimes via a secure message or chat; sometimes via a telephone consultation; and sometimes the outcome is a face to face appointment if that is clinically necessary
- Follow up: After the consultation there may be advice, prescriptions issued electronically, referrals, or further monitoring. The patient receives a summary and next steps if required
Practices that use a system like this report smoother workflows, fewer interrupted phone calls and fewer patients stuck in queues. We visited one practice that had trialled the model: they reported that one of their GPs said the form submissions gave “a 5-10 minute head start” compared to the usual phone triage. Of course, that’s informal, not a rigorous study – but it resonated.
It’s worth noting some of the limitations too: in the evaluation of one online consultation system (36 GP practices in South West England) researchers found that while “online consultations are potentially a way to improve patient access and to reduce GPs’ workload from face to face consultations” there were caveats such as low uptake, and many e-consultations still resulted in face to face or telephone follow-up.Â
In fact, that study found that only 21% of patients who accessed the system submitted their symptoms electronically. And after submission, the most common outcome was still a face to face consultation (38%) or a telephone call (32%).Â
So yes, it works – but it is not revolutionising everything overnight.
Facts & figures: what the data tells us
Here are some key statistics which help ground the discussion (and yes, we think it strengthens the case for online consultation – but with realistic caveats).
- According to a briefing by The Health Foundation, in 2021 72% of all patient requests in general practice were initiated online rather than by telephone or in-person
- From the monthly data from NHS Digital: In July 2025, there were 33.6 million appointments recorded in general practice in England; of these, 63.1% were face to face
- Also from that July 2025 data: 43.7% of appointments took place on the same day they were booked
- An earlier study (BMJ Open) showed that of patients using an online consultation system in one pilot, 65.2% received a response within two days
- According to a June 2025 news release from NHS England: “Almost every (99 %) GP practice in England now has a digital telephone system in place” to improve access
- Also, a Government announcement (October 2025) reported that “online patient submissions have grown significantly – almost 6 million submissions in July 2025 compared to 3.4 million in July 2024”
These data points show clear momentum: more patients are choosing digital routes, more practices are implementing the technology and more appointments are being managed via these systems. Yet we must also note that only a portion of all consultations still take place digitally (given about 63% remain face to face in July 2025).
NHS Digital First policy
The NHS Digital First Programme is a cornerstone of how primary care is evolving. The idea is: where safe and appropriate, care should begin digitally (i.e. online or by phone) rather than automatically in-person. This doesn’t remove human interaction, it just offers more routes to access.
By enabling online consultation options, practices can align more closely with the policy goals: better access, less waiting, improved patient experience and more efficient use of clinical time. The Government and NHS England are encouraging this shift. For example, in their announcement they stated that all GP practices will be required to keep online consultation tools open during core hours to make online access “as easy as calling or walking in”.Â
Yet, as with all policy shifts, there are challenges. Implementation varies across practices; digital access isn’t uniform across all patient groups; and workflow integration is not always seamless. Some studies (for example the one from 2017) found that where online consultations were used for complex symptoms they sometimes increased workload rather than reducing it (because of extra telephone or in-person follow up).Â
Still, overall, we think online consultation aligns well with the direction of travel – especially when combined with telephone and face to face options in a truly hybrid model.
Challenges, realities & considerations
While we’ve emphasised benefits, it’s important to pause and reflect on the challenges too. Because in reality, the picture is mixed.
Digital exclusion
Some patients cannot easily access online systems – perhaps they have no reliable internet, perhaps they are less comfortable with tech, or they might prefer to speak directly with someone. If practices shift too heavily to online-first, there is a risk of disadvantaging those patients. In one pilot study, staff reported that the online consultation system was used most by patients in working age groups while older patients used it less.
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Clinical safety & appropriateness
Not all conditions are suitable for online triage or digital responses. The earlier evaluation found that when symptoms were complex or novel, clinicians often felt a face to face or telephone appointment was best.Â
There is also emerging scrutiny of safety risks: remote or online processes can, in rare cases, lead to delays or mis-triage when the information submitted lacks nuance. (Note: this is an area under investigation and we’re not saying that online consultation is unsafe in general – rather, that implementation must be careful.)
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Workflow integration
One of the pilot studies found that a lack of integration between the online system and the practice’s existing IT and administrative workflows created duplication of effort and additional workload.Â
If the system is bolted on rather than built in, it may create more overhead instead of less.
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Patient expectation & workload
As more patients expect online options, this may increase demand (which is good in terms of access, but may result in more work). Also, the tipping point: if too many people use online forms, practices may need more staff to triage, not less. So the model doesn’t automatically reduce workload unless managed carefully.
Summary
So, where does all this leave us? Adopting a GP online consultation system is less of a “nice to have” and increasingly looks like a “must have” in modern primary care. It doesn’t replace face to face care (nor should it). It complements it. It offers patients choice, convenience and potentially better access. It offers practices another way to manage rising demand, improve triage and operate more flexibly.
That said, it requires good implementation. It needs to work alongside telephone and in-person options – the hybrid model is likely to remain dominant. It needs to address digital inclusion, workflow integration and clinical safety. It isn’t a silver bullet – but we think it’s a powerful tool in the toolbox for practices.
If we were to advise a practice: start with a clear process, ensure staff are trained, make sure your digital route is as seamless as your phone route, monitor uptake and outcomes and keep the human in the loop. Because even with brilliant tech, ultimately health care is about people connecting with people.
In short: the future of patient access in the NHS is not just more phone lines or more clinics (though both matter). It’s more flexible routes, smarter triage, digital where appropriate, human where necessary. The online consultation route is a key part of that mix – and for many practices the sooner they embrace it (with care and planning), the better.