Everything you need to know on the changes to GPs surgeries

Major changes are being made to GP surgeries from next month - here is everything you need to know.

The changes will be rolled out from October 1 and require GPs to keep their online consultation tool open for the duration of core hours for non-urgent appointment requests. They will also need to keep the tool open to medication queries and admin requests.

Practices will also need to ensure functionality in GP Connect that will allow community registered professionals to send consultation summaries into the GP practice workflow which the government says will "reduce administrative burden" for general practice teams. By October 1 practices will also allow read only access to patients' care records and will apply to other NHS commissioned providers.

Dr Tim Mercer, who shares medical advice on TikTok, explained in a video he decided to take action after realising some of his patients believed the forthcoming changes were down to him. "General practice triage is the direction of NHS England," he said in a caption.

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"I think my patients were under the impression that perhaps moving to total triage was my decision but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The only decision I made was to start September 1 so if anything went horribly wrong we could turn it off and fix the problem before October 1!"

He added adopting the new charter and its changes means GPs must be open from 8am to 6:30pm from Monday to Friday. Throughout these hours they can be contacted in person, via a phone call, online or through the NHS app.

"The current system means you contact the surgery and they give you an appointment at some point in the future that kind of meets your request... some level of triage takes place by the receptionist, but clearly the patients are not happy about this," Dr Mercer added.

He added that the current system means "you may call and be told by the receptionist you can have an appointment two weeks on Thursday", the change will result in you calling the GP to request an appointment and having to wait to for the time it to be allocated within one working day after the GP has "triaged everything from the pile."

Dr Mercer declared: "It's not the receptionist's fault. It's not my fault. This is not what any of us decided. This is what NHS England has told us we have to do." As a result, from October 1, your requests could result in an appointment "that day, the subsequent day, or it might just be a text message or advice to go to the pharmacy or another NHS service."

NHS England's website adds: "Your practice will decide what is best for you based on your clinical need. Your practice cannot tell you to just call back the next day."

Dr Mercer acknowledged: "Although for the majority of circumstances, we're going to try to give you what you want because often what the patient wants in the end is what they need - or at least we can negotiate it."

The NHS added: "You might be offered a face-to-face appointment or a phone call with a GP or other member of the practice staff, like a nurse or pharmacist. If you have a carer, they can speak for you with your consent."

It has made several suggestions, which it explained on its website:

• Be prepared: Before an appointment, think about writing down your symptoms, what you are worried about and what you want to talk about.
• Be on time: Being late for an appointment or being unavailable for a timed call-back can affect other patients.
• Cancel if needed: If you can’t go to your appointment, tell the practice as soon as you can, so that they can offer it to someone else.
• Use the NHS App or website: If you’re confident using smart phones or computers, you can book or cancel appointments, order repeat prescriptions, and see your test results online.
• Turn on notifications: If you use the NHS App, turn on notifications so the practice can contact you more easily. Please keep an eye out for messages.
• Order repeat medicines on time: Make sure you ask for repeat prescriptions on time, so you don’t run out, and only order what you need.
• Join the Patient Participation Group: You practice will have a group of patients who can offer feedback on the services it delivers. Your practice website should explain how you can join.