Availability of Online consultations from 1 October 2025.

You may be aware that the government has changed the GP contract from 1 October 2025 to ask GP practices to maintain access via online, telephone and across the front desk across the core hours of 8:00am – 6:30pm.

We have seen significant changes to our team in the last 2 months – you may already have met many new faces at the front desk. To maintain a safe and stable service, we have had to prioritise staff training above all else. This has meant that we have not made as much progress as we needed in time for 1 October.

We are looking in detail at our Appointment Hub process and how we might make changes.  Now, clinical PATCHS opens at 7:30am online and via the telephones at 8:00am and we close when we have reached our safe clinical capacity for the day. We stay open for administrative PATCHS all day for requirements such as fit notes and prescription requests. Cover between 6:00pm-6:30pm is provided by out of hours service, Local Care Direct, which covers this time for most practices in Leeds. All calls to our practice are automatically diverted to them during this time.

We aim to respond to all appointment and advice requests promptly, prioritising those most in need. Sometimes we may need to offer you an appointment on another day or direct you to another suitable service.

For safety reasons, urgent medical requests cannot be accepted via our online system once our clinical capacity has been filled each day.  

The need to prioritise urgent cases to keep patients safe could result in longer waiting times for routine/non-urgent appointments.

The new requirement to allow patients unlimited online access for non- urgent medical requests, throughout core hours, could make it more likely that we will have no choice but to create hospital-style waiting lists to meet patient need. We do not believe that this is a solution that anyone wants.

We believe patients deserve more.

•  At present, GPs and their teams are under huge pressure – caring for more people with fewer resources.
• Without proper investment, the safety, stability and continuity of care that patients value most are at risk.
• As your GP practice, we will always do what we can to deliver the best service possible for you and your family. With the right resources and support, we could expand our services, employ more staff, and deliver the safe, timely, and personalised care you deserve.
• Please remember that our current GP contract funds patient care on average at 31p per day per patient, which is not enough to meet rising demand and to provide the care you and your family deserve.

We are working to find the best solution to respond safely to non-urgent requests and will let you know our progress.

Please bear with us – and thank you for your support as we try our best for you and your family.