GPs should return to offering face-to-face appointments without prior triage, says NHS

The NHS has told general practices to return to offering patients face-to-face appointments without needing prior telephone or online triage, reversing a policy that has been in place since the start of the pandemic.

A row has surfaced in recent days after the Telegraph reported¹ that NHS guidance continued to advise practices to use the “total triage” model, introduced in 2020 to reduce the risk of infection spreading at GP surgeries. The model requires patients to undergo a remote assessment before they can be offered a face-to-face consultation if one is deemed necessary.

But doctors and patient groups have voiced concerns that the system may be preventing some patients from accessing the care they need, and the Royal College of General Practitioners said in a report this week that remote consulting should be an option but not the “automatic default” for GP care.² The Mail on Sunday also launched a campaign last week demanding that all patients should be able to see their GP face to face.³

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In view of these concerns the NHS issued a new standard operating procedure to practices on 13...