MILLIONS of Brits will be able to get same-day GP appointments under a new NHS scheme.
From April, the three million residents of North West London will be able to access care more easily through a new health hub.
Patients will be directed to the hub if they select “same-day” care when calling their GP practice, with artificial intelligence used to help prioritise people.
However, details of the new scheme, seen by The Telegraph, reveal that only one in 15 appointments offered under the “same-day access model” will be conducted by GPs.
Each hub could have just one GP working in it, meaning most slots will be handled by other healthcare professionals, such as pharmacists or physician associates (PAs).
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PAs support doctors to diagnose and treat patients in hospitals and GP surgeries.
They are usually science graduates who have undergone two years of intense training for the role. Nurses and midwives can also train to be PAs.
People in these roles are fully trained but do not currently undergo the mandatory checks that doctors and nurses do.
However, under a planned new law, PAs will be regulated by the General Medical Council (GMC).
The British Medical Association (BMA) has warned this could lead to patients confusing PAs and doctors, which it says could result in "tragic consequences".
Travel further for appointments
People in North West London seeking same-day appointments via the new NHS scheme might have to travel further than their GP surgery to see a medical professional, the body said on its website.
Patients could also be sent to other health services, like pharmacies, if they would "better meet your needs".
Some hubs would also be “virtual”, meaning appointments are carried out remotely.
Dr Genevieve Small, Harrow GP and Medical Director, Primary Care NHS North West London, said: “Patients consistently tell us that getting a GP appointment can be difficult.
"We have developed a plan to increase same-day access to GPs, community pharmacists and other primary care professionals for those patients who need it.
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“This approach will be introduced gradually across North West London from April 2024.
"It will ensure that GPs have more time to proactively care for their patients who most need their expertise, including those with long-term conditions."
Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said family doctors were open to new ways of improving patient access, which could involve new hubs if implemented appropriately.
'Robustly evaluated'
But she said: “We do have concerns about how this model could impact continuity of care, which research consistently shows is beneficial for patients and the NHS.
“It’s the trusted relationships between GPs and patients, built over time, that help us to give patients the holistic care they often need.”
She added that RCGP will “be watching this initiative with interest” and called for it to be “robustly evaluated” before it is rolled out more widely.
New NHS figures suggest that one in 20 patients has to wait at least four weeks to see a GP.
In November 2023, 1.5m appointments in England at a GP surgery took place four weeks or more after they were booked, 4.8 per cent of the 31.9m held that month.
