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Wes Streeting’s new online GP booking system, due to be launched across England this Wednesday, is not safe – and could put patients’ lives at risk.
That is the warning from the British Medical Association – on the eve of the system’s launch across England (Wednesday, October 1, 2025).
Doctors say the system cannot properly distinguish between urgent and non-urgent requests, meaning people with serious health conditions could be left waiting, misdirected or overlooked.
The BMA says Streeting is breaking promises that safeguards would be in place first, and effectively rushing a half-baked plan.
“Hospital-style waiting lists in general practice”
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the BMA GP committee, explained that the union had only agreed to the new system on the condition that necessary safeguards would be put in place.
“This was agreed – in writing – with government and NHS England in February this year. Now almost eight months later, it is deeply disappointing to see promises broken,” she said.
She warned that the changes would lead to “hospital-style waiting lists in general practice”, reducing face-to-face appointments and leaving patients waiting longer, even for urgent issues.
The dangers: “online triage tsunami”
The BMA has spelt out the risks in detail:
-
Serious cases missed: Online systems cannot reliably sort urgent from routine requests. Someone with chest pain could be left waiting alongside a patient seeking a repeat prescription.
-
Workforce overload: Doctors warn of an “online triage tsunami”, with a surge of digital requests but no extra staff to cope.
-
No safety valve: The BMA says practices should be able to switch off online booking if demand becomes unmanageable – but ministers haven’t agreed.
In short: without safeguards, the policy risks overwhelming surgeries and endangering patients.
Streeting’s spin
Streeting dismisses these concerns. His argument is this: “If you can book a hair appointment online, you should be able to book an NHS appointment too.”
This glib comparison shows how shallow the government’s thinking is.
A bad haircut won’t kill you. A missed heart attack or stroke might.
Streeting insists 2,000 extra GPs have already been hired, and points to some practices where online booking has cut waiting times.
But the BMA’s warnings make clear: those are exceptions, not the rule. Rolling out a flawed system everywhere risks chaos.
Rushing for headlines
Why the rush, anyway?
Politics.
Streeting wants to be seen as the moderniser dragging the NHS into the digital age.
But in his haste to score headlines, he is ignoring the people who know the system best: the doctors on the front line.
The BMA says ministers are breaking their word. Safeguards promised in writing have not been delivered. Instead, the government is gambling with patients’ safety.
The crisis
If serious cases are missed – and patients come to harm – the blame will land on GPs, even though it will not belong with them.
It will lie with a Health Secretary who pushed through a dangerous policy for the sake of a soundbite.
Once again, we see a minister putting headlines before health.
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Streeting rushes online GP booking system – will our health suffer?
Share this post:
Wes Streeting’s new online GP booking system, due to be launched across England this Wednesday, is not safe – and could put patients’ lives at risk.
That is the warning from the British Medical Association – on the eve of the system’s launch across England (Wednesday, October 1, 2025).
Doctors say the system cannot properly distinguish between urgent and non-urgent requests, meaning people with serious health conditions could be left waiting, misdirected or overlooked.
The BMA says Streeting is breaking promises that safeguards would be in place first, and effectively rushing a half-baked plan.
“Hospital-style waiting lists in general practice”
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the BMA GP committee, explained that the union had only agreed to the new system on the condition that necessary safeguards would be put in place.
“This was agreed – in writing – with government and NHS England in February this year. Now almost eight months later, it is deeply disappointing to see promises broken,” she said.
She warned that the changes would lead to “hospital-style waiting lists in general practice”, reducing face-to-face appointments and leaving patients waiting longer, even for urgent issues.
The dangers: “online triage tsunami”
The BMA has spelt out the risks in detail:
Serious cases missed: Online systems cannot reliably sort urgent from routine requests. Someone with chest pain could be left waiting alongside a patient seeking a repeat prescription.
Workforce overload: Doctors warn of an “online triage tsunami”, with a surge of digital requests but no extra staff to cope.
No safety valve: The BMA says practices should be able to switch off online booking if demand becomes unmanageable – but ministers haven’t agreed.
In short: without safeguards, the policy risks overwhelming surgeries and endangering patients.
Streeting’s spin
Streeting dismisses these concerns. His argument is this: “If you can book a hair appointment online, you should be able to book an NHS appointment too.”
This glib comparison shows how shallow the government’s thinking is.
A bad haircut won’t kill you. A missed heart attack or stroke might.
Streeting insists 2,000 extra GPs have already been hired, and points to some practices where online booking has cut waiting times.
But the BMA’s warnings make clear: those are exceptions, not the rule. Rolling out a flawed system everywhere risks chaos.
Rushing for headlines
Why the rush, anyway?
Politics.
Streeting wants to be seen as the moderniser dragging the NHS into the digital age.
But in his haste to score headlines, he is ignoring the people who know the system best: the doctors on the front line.
The BMA says ministers are breaking their word. Safeguards promised in writing have not been delivered. Instead, the government is gambling with patients’ safety.
The crisis
If serious cases are missed – and patients come to harm – the blame will land on GPs, even though it will not belong with them.
It will lie with a Health Secretary who pushed through a dangerous policy for the sake of a soundbite.
Once again, we see a minister putting headlines before health.
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