The Calverton Surgery Newsletter – November 2025
Changes to the GP Contract in England
On 1st October some changes to the GP contract were introduced. Their essence is to try to make it easier for patients to contact their GP surgery remotely, hopefully therefore avoiding the traditional 8am scramble to get through by phone.
It is badged as an ‘ability to book GP appointments online’. The British Medical Association have expressed considerable concerns about this (widely covered in the media and so not repeated here) and as a result have formally declared they are in dispute with the government. Where this will all go remains to be seen.
For us we anticipate a change in the way some of our patients contact us (hopefully reducing phone pressures), but we are concerned that the volume of contacts may go up considerably.
We need to ensure that we continue to work safely and that means that, as now, there will be a limit to the number of contacts we can deal with each day. We will of course continue to strive to offer the best possible service we can but, as the old saying goes ‘You can’t have a Rolls Royce for the price of a Lada’.
Replies to on-line requests are likely to be dealt with by a text reply and it is very important it is not used for anything urgent and likely to require immediate attention. As always if you are concerned that your problem is life-threatening (chest pain, severe breathlessness, bleeding etc) ring 111 or 999 as feels appropriate. They will take appropriate action.
Also, a reminder that not all problems are best dealt with by a GP. Pharmacists, Walk in Centres, ED and the Hospital PALS (patient advice and liaison service) may all be sensible and our reply may direct you to those services. Again, if in doubt, 111 can often provide helpful advice.
Additionally, we are looking at potentially changing our appointments system in the coming months. Most GP practices now operate something called total triage. All appointment requests are submitted either online or by phone.
A clinician will then review the request to determine the best option, which may be a face-to-face appointment or phone call, but could also include those options mentioned earlier in the article.
These systems we know are not popular with all patients but are a response to rising pressures on GP surgeries and imposed government directives. I will keep you posted on developments.
Also, recently several of the practice team attended the Nottingham LMC (Local Medical Committee) AGM and awards ceremony. Both Dr Hopkinson and I were presented with Long Service Awards which felt a nice, proverbial ‘pat on the back’ from local colleagues.
Finally, a reminder about flu jabs and covid boosters for those eligible (see Octobers newsletter on our website) and to stock up on all those Winter cold and flu remedies.