General practitioners (GPs) in England have warned they may take industrial action over government plans to expand online appointment booking, arguing the move will overwhelm surgeries and put patient safety at risk.
The new system, set to begin Wednesday, will allow patients to request GP appointments online between 8am and 6:30pm, Monday to Friday.
The policy is designed to end the 8am scramble for appointments, but doctors say it risks triggering a surge in demand.
The British Medical Association (BMA) accused ministers of breaking a February agreement to introduce safeguards before the rollout, ensuring non-urgent queries were filtered out.
The doctors’ union has given the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) 48 hours to act or face possible industrial action.
The chair of the BMA’s GPs committee, Dr Katie Bramall warned the plan could “create hospital-style waiting lists” and force GPs to cut face-to-face consultations in order to process online requests.
The BMA fears urgent cases may be missed, as current systems cannot distinguish between routine and emergency needs.
The DHSC rejected the concerns, saying the reforms would offer patients choice and convenience while easing phone line pressure.
Health secretary, Wes Streeting said the rollout would continue as planned, noting some GP surgeries already use the system successfully.
Patient groups, meanwhile, said timely access to care regardless of booking method should remain the priority.
