Doctors' Union Warning Over Online Booking Safety Risk

The doctors union, nan British Medical Association (BMA), has warned that perchance superior wellness problems could beryllium missed by GPs, and lead to patients being harmed, erstwhile a caller online booking strategy is launched crossed England connected Wednesday.

But Health Secretary Wes Streeting says ministers are putting nan interests of patients first and had already agreed clear safeguards pinch nan union.

The strategy will let patients wanting an on-the-day GP appointment, aliases a telephone from a clinician, to make a petition online passim nan day.

The installation is already disposable successful galore practices and is designed to trim agelong waits connected nan telephone during nan alleged '8am scramble'.

The BMA says nan authorities must halt nan rollout of nan online booking scheme to let changes to beryllium put successful place.

The national argues that online systems cannot separate adequately betwixt urgent and non-urgent diligent messages, and this could lead to perchance superior cases being delayed.

The BMA has besides warned location would beryllium a "potential online triage tsunami" pinch nary further workforce to header pinch nan other demand.

Union leaders opportunity much should beryllium done to supply safeguards, specified arsenic allowing practices to temporarily move disconnected nan online booking system if unit are struggling to grip diligent numbers.

The national has warned that if nan authorities does not amend nan scheme, a general conflict will beryllium declared. This could lead to a "work to rule" situation, akin to what was introduced successful a erstwhile conflict during which GPs constricted diligent appointments to nan minimum required nether their contract.

But ministers reason that nan BMA had agreed to nan preamble of online booking arsenic portion of a caller negotiated statement successful England. They constituent retired that galore GPs already connection nan service.

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said it was "absurd" that successful 2025 galore patients can't petition appointments online.

"If you tin book a hairsbreadth assignment online, you should beryllium capable to book an NHS assignment too. We person agreed clear safeguards, wherever patients will beryllium directed to telephone up aliases be successful personification for urgent appointments. The BMA knows this. This authorities will ever put nan interests of patients first, and we will not guidelines for our NHS being held backmost successful nan analogue age."

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of nan BMA GP committee, said nan changes were agreed to "on nan information that 'necessary safeguards' would beryllium put successful place" earlier Wednesday 1 October.

"This was agreed – successful penning – pinch government… and NHSE successful February this year. Now almost 8 months later, it is profoundly disappointing to spot promises broken," she added.

She said ministers had been warned that nan changes would lead to "hospital-style waiting lists successful wide practice" which could "reduce face-to-face GP appointments".

Mr Streeting said that that 2,000 other GPs had already been hired crossed England and that diligent restitution pinch their GPs was connected nan up.

Officials said that surgeries which had implemented nan changes had reported reduced waiting times for appointments.