The Health Foundation have published a study of patients at practices using digital and online tools. Read the full report here.

Graham Kendall, Director of Digital Healthcare Council said:

“People want their health problems addressed efficiently and effectively. This study shows only around 10% of patients ask for a face-to-face appointment. In turn, that raises questions about policies that require arbitrary percentages of face-to-face consultations. It is important that general practice access policies should focus on ensuring that everyone is offered a high-quality choice that is both clinically appropriate and reflects each patient’s needs and preferences.

“The report shows that the increase in demand on general practice is due to pent-up pressures, not due to a shift to digital channels and online consultations. The report also notes that where practices offer a high quality set of options, they achieve high ratings for patient experience. Those insights are entirely in line with the experiences of Digital Healthcare Council members.”