General Practitioners

This Government has committed to guarantee a face-to-face appointment for all those who want one. The National Health Service is clear that general practices must provide face-to-face appointments, alongside remote consultations, and patients’ input into consultation type should be sought and their preferences for face-to-face care respected unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary. Since appointment types, whether face-to-face or remote, in any given year, including 2025/26, are determined based on patient preferences and clinical need, it is not possible to produce a reliable estimate for the number of face-to-face appointments for 2025/26.