Doctors' union warning over online booking safety risk

When a new online booking system is introduced across England on Wednesday, the doctors union, the British Medical Association (BMA), has warned that potentially serious health issues could be skipped by GPs, resulting in patients being harmed. However, Health Minister Wes Streeting says that ministers are first and that patients' interests come first, and that they have already agreed concrete safeguards with the union. Patients needing an on-the-day GP appointment or a call from a consultant will be able to submit a request online throughout the day. During the so-called '8am squabble,' the center is now available in several locations and is intended to minimize long lines on the phone.

'Online tsunami'

According to the BMA, the government must halt the rollout of the online booking scheme in order to allow for changes to be implemented. According to the union, online platforms are unable to distinguish correctly between urgent and non-urgent patient messages, and this could result in potentially fatal cases being delayed. The BMA has also warned that there will be a potential online triage tsunami as a result of the increased demand. More could be done to provide safeguards, including the ability to temporarily switch off the online booking system if employees are struggling to deal with patient numbers, according to Union representatives. The union has warned that if the government does not update the scheme, a formal conflict will be announced. This could result in a work to rule situation, similar to that which was introduced in pending litigation in which doctors restricted patient visits to the minimum required under their employment.

'NHS should not be held back'

Ministers, on the other hand, claim that the BMA had consented to the introduction of online booking as part of a new negotiated deal in England. They point out that many GPs already provide the facility. It was absurd that in 2025, many patients can't book appointments online, according to Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

You should be able to book an NHS appointment online if you book a hair appointment online. We have established concrete measures, where patients will be prompted to call up or attend in person for urgent appointments. The BMA knows this. Patients will always come first, and we will not stand for our NHS being held back in the analogue period.

The changes were made on the understanding thatnecessary precautionswould be implemented, Dr. Katie Bramall-Stainer, chairwoman of the BMA GP committee, said,before Wednesday 1 October.This was agreed – in writing – with the government and NHSE in February this year.

It's been almost eight months since promises were broken,

she said. Ministers had been warned that the changes would result in hospital-style waiting lists in general practice, which could "reduce face-to-face GP appointments. Mr Streeting said that 2,000 more GPs had already been recruited around England, and that customer satisfaction with their GP services was on the rise. Officials said that surgeries that had modified the procedures had reduced waiting times for appointments.