A higher proportion of people in England now contact their GP surgeries online than by telephone, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Data covering three weeks from mid-September shows that just over 43% of people went online to contact their GP – an increase of a percentage point on the previous month – compared to 41% by telephone.
It comes after the government required all NHS practices to provide online bookings from October. The government says more than eight million people used online counseling services in October, an increase of a fifth on the previous month.
The British Medical Association suggested the move risks seeing surgeries overwhelmed by demand and says patients could be put at risk.
It is in official dispute with the government over the changes.
But Health Minister Wes Streeting described the latest figures as a “huge step” towards fulfilling the government’s promise to end the “8am stampede for appointments”.
Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that 43.3% of people contacted their GP online, including via the NHS app or their local GP website, between September 16 and October 9.
The government has mandated that appointments must be booked online between 08:30 and 18:00, Monday to Friday.
The Department of Health says almost all GP surgeries in England now offer this service. In addition to requesting non-urgent consultations, patients can ask questions, describe symptoms, and request a call back.
NHS England said contacting GPs online was now easier for patients and the figures reveal its popularity.
But the British Medical Association says patients are at risk due to urgent claims not being triaged and practices being overwhelmed.
Dr David Wrigley, deputy chair of the BMA’s general practice committee in England, said: “The government has increased the potential for patient safety issues to arise.”
“The program simply does not filter out the red tape from urgent requests,” he added.
Patient group Healthwatch England also raised concerns, saying some people had not been adequately informed of the changes, particularly that online booking should not be used in emergency situations.
They also reported practices that restrict online bookings in the morning, and said people who are less digitally savvy find it difficult to navigate the system.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Streeting said: “It is time for the NHS to catch up for the rest of the 21st century.”
“GPs have really embraced this. You would think from listening to some of the complainers at the BMA that GPs were resistant, they’re not.”
“In fact, the overwhelming majority did so, and I am grateful to them,” he said.
In relation to concerns raised about the challenges of evaluating the increasing number of messages facilitated by online systems, he suggested that accepting “bottlenecks” in the telephone system indicated an attitude that “if patients are out of sight, they are out of mind”.
Jess Harvey, a GP in Shropshire and a member of the British Medical Association, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: surgeries were “already saturated and running at full capacity”.
She said GPs want to be responsive to patients but there is now “an open gate for people to contact us” and “there is also the reality that we have to work safely”.
She accused the government of “creating unrealistic expectations for patients”, adding: “If they want us to do this extra work, it must be funded so it can be done safely.”