Online GP registrations hit 240,000

NHS England has revealed that over 240,000 online patient registrations have taken place on the digital 'Register with a GP surgery service' since its launch.

More than 900 GP practices, 14 per cent of the national total, have already enrolled.

NHS England is urging other GP practices to sign up.

The service is available in the NHS App and allows patients or carers to find and register with a GP practice.

Around 6 million registrations are processed by GP practices every year and the new service has been shown to save staff up to 15 minutes per registration, by reducing paper work and admin time.

Stephen Koch, NHS England’s executive director of platforms, said: “This service reduces the administrative burden for general practice as well as making GP registration even more accessible to the public, offering patients more choice, convenience and consistency.

“We’re pleased to see a growing number of GP practices are coming on board, helping them save time and money. By recently integrating the service with the NHS App, we hope even more GP practices will take advantage of this new digital tool.”

Dr Shanker Vijay, Digital First Clinical Lead for London and a practising GP, is a user of the service. He said: “We live in a ‘one-click’ culture and we recognise that many busy people want online solutions.

“Vulnerable patients and those with physical access needs don’t need to visit the GP surgery to register, and people can access the service at any time, including outside of working hours to fit around their other responsibilities.”