GPs in England agree deal to 'end 8am scramble' for appointments

More patients in England will be able to book appointments online and request to see their regular doctor as part of a new deal agreed with GPs in England, the government has said.

The deal includes an additional £889m in funding for the year 2025 to 2026 and is designed to end the "8am scramble" for appointments.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Sky News it would "modernise the way that people can book appointments" and "bring back the family-doctor relationship".

He said it was "slashing the red tape that ties GPs up" and had "almost halved the number of measures and bureaucracy that GPs have to undertake".

From October, the reforms will require GP surgeries to allow patients to request appointments online in a bid to free-up phone lines for urgent enquires and help end the 8am rush to book appointments over the phone.

GPs will also be incentivised to identify patients who would benefit from seeing their regular doctor at every consultation.

Targets, including those requiring surgeries to report on staff wellbeing meetings, have also been scrapped to allow doctors to spend more time treating patients.

Announcing the agreement, Mr Streeting said: "Today, we have taken the first step to fixing the front door to the NHS, bringing back the family doctor, and ending the 8am scramble.

"Over the past decade, funding for GPs has been cut relative to the rest of the NHS, while the number of targets for GPs has soared. That's why patients are struggling to get an appointment.

"This government is cutting the red tape that ties up GPs' time and backing them with an extra £889m next year.

"In return, more patients will be able to request appointments online and see their regular doctor for each appointment."

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Under the agreement, struck by the government and the British Medical Association (BMA), the trade union for doctors, GPs have accepted contract amendments for the first time in four years.

The Department of Health and Social Care has said it marks a "reset of relations" after recent strikes.

It said it would "ease pressures" on other parts of the NHS, including A&E.

Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England national director for primary care and community services, said: "This is the first time in four years that the GP contract has been accepted as proposed and I hope it will be seen as positive for practices, GP teams and patients when introduced in April.

"It shows how NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have listened and delivered on the priorities that matter most to patients and general practice teams, including a significant increase in funding and extra flexibility in the additional roles reimbursement scheme to recruit more staff including GPs."

(c) Sky News 2025: GPs in England agree deal to 'end 8am scramble' for appointments