Online GP Registration Implemented Ahead of Schedule

The NHS has successfully achieved its pledge to introduce a new online GP registration service to 2,000 practices by the end of the year, exceeding expectations.

Managed by NHS England, the service is designed to simplify the registration process for patients and GP practices, enabling online registration without the need for in-person visits.

Since its launch in 2022, over 750,000 patients have utilised the service, with one in three GP practices now offering this convenient option.

With GP practices processing around 6.8 million registrations annually, many still rely on traditional paper forms, often requiring in-person visits for patients. The online tool has proven effective in saving significant administrative time for practice staff.

The initial ambition of reaching 2,000 GP practices by December 2023 was achieved a month earlier than anticipated, with over 2,100 surgeries enrolled by the end of November 2023.

Dr. Amanda Doyle, National Director of Primary Care and Community Services for NHS England, highlighted the significance of online GP registration in transforming healthcare practices, stating: “Online GP registration is one of the many innovative ways the NHS is transforming how practices work to make it as easy as possible for patients to get the care they need.”

This initiative not only enhances patient convenience but also allows practice staff to allocate more time to patient care and less time on administrative tasks.

The online registration process is designed to be inclusive, as patients do not need ID, an NHS number, or proof of address. Additionally, translation tools are available for those whose first language is not English.

Statistics from the online registration service indicate that 66% of patients use the service to switch GPs, while 23% are visitors or migrants.

Other submissions include 5% registering with a GP for the first time, 4% newborns, and 1% ex-military patients. Almost half (48%) registered outside standard GP surgery hours, and one in 10 accessed the digital service in another language.

Katie Howard, practice manager at Cleevelands Medical Centre in Cheltenham, emphasised the positive impact of the service on time efficiency, saving between three to five minutes per patient and providing a user-friendly experience: “Our patients have found it very revolutionary, as it’s so user-friendly and they can use it on the go.

“It saves our surgery staff between three to five minutes per patient. When you consider we get 25 registrations a day, that is a significant amount of time we are saving to invest back into the patients.”

Professor Bola Owolabi, NHS England’s Director of Health Inequalities and a GP in the Midlands, emphasised the service’s role in reducing health inequalities and widening access to quality healthcare: “We know health inequalities exist within our communities, which is why we are pleased to see our online Register with a GP surgery service is making such a huge difference, by reducing barriers to registration and widening access to good quality healthcare.”

Healthwatch England acknowledged the service’s benefits, emphasising the removal of registration barriers and recommending its adoption across all GP teams:

“We welcome NHS England’s work to remove registration barriers and recommend that all GP teams sign-up to Register with a GP surgery to make access to general practice as easy as possible for everyone.”