GPs strike deal to help end '8am scramble' for appointments

Patients will be able to book more appointments online and request to see their usual doctor under a new contract agreed with England's GPs, the government has said.

The deal gives an extra £889m a year to general practices, as well as a reduction in red tape and targets that ministers hope will mean doctors are freed up to see more patients.

The Labour government made manifesto promises to bring back "family" doctors and end the early morning phone "scramble" for appointments.

The doctors' union, the British Medical Association (BMA), says the deal is an important first step in restoring general practices.

However, doctors also want the government to commit to talks about a completely new national contract for GPs within this parliament.

GP surgeries are seen as the front door to the NHS but for years now, doctors have been warning about the pressure their service is under.

Patients have felt it too, with some people facing long waits for appointments.

Long waiting times for routine GP appointments have led to the now familiar "8am scramble" for a same-day appointment.

Many GP surgeries open their telephone lines at 8am, meaning that if you want an on-the-day appointment, you have to phone on the dot at 8am.

It is a frequent source of complaints from patients who often find themselves held in long queues, only to be told all the appointments have been booked up.

Not all surgeries work like this though, with others operating telephone call-back services or online triage so that patients can be prioritised.

The new contract says patients should be able to arrange appointments online throughout working hours, freeing up the phones for those who need them most, and making it easier for practices to triage patients based on medical need.