Around seven in 10 patients now receive GP care remotely, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has reported.
The latest data from the RCGP's Research Surveillance Centre has shown that in the four weeks leading up to 12 April, 71 per cent of routine consultations in general practice were delivered remotely, with about 26 per cent face-to-face consultations. In the same period last year, this was reversed, with 71 per cent face-to-face consultations and 25 per cent by phone.
Professor Martin Marshall, RCGP chair, said: "This has been a rapid revolution in the way care is delivered in general practice and as a College we are thankful for the way GPs, our teams and our patients have adapted to these new ways of working.”
However, he said “general practice is not going to become a permanently remote service - many patients want and need to be seen face to face in order to properly address their presenting problems - but having the technological capability to offer remote consultations, where appropriate, will be beneficial for general practice, the wider NHS and most importantly our patients, long after this pandemic has ended.”
Prof Marshall also expressed concern about the recent data from NHS Digital which highlights a decline in routine patient consultations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"A decline in patients seeking medical help for conditions and illnesses unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic is concerning and could lead to serious consequences, as we have seen in previous health crises,” he cautioned.
