GPs Told to Guarantee Same‑Day Appointments for Urgent Cases

Published: 25 February 2026 . The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Patients in England will soon be guaranteed a same‑day appointment with their GP if they have an urgent health need, under changes to the contract that family doctors have with the NHS. The new requirement, set to take effect from 1 April 2026, forms part of a broader plan to improve access to primary care amid longstanding pressures on general practice.

Under the updated GP contract agreed by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, every patient assessed as having an urgent clinical need must be offered an appointment on the same day they contact their practice. The contract comes with nearly £500 million in additional funding to support practices in expanding capacity, recruiting more doctors and modernising access systems. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the changes aim to “fix the front door of the NHS” by ensuring timely access to family doctors and relieving pressure on hospital emergency departments.

The definition of “urgent” will be determined locally by clinicians, and practices will be expected to deal with such cases on the day, whether through face‑to‑face visits, telephone or video consultations, or clinical triage that leads to an appropriate outcome. The contract also mandates that online appointment request tools remain open throughout core hours to make it easier for patients to contact their surgery.

While many GP practices already set aside sessions for same‑day care, the contractual obligation marks a notable extension of patient entitlement. Previously there was no formal requirement to monitor how many urgent patients were seen promptly; from April practices will be held to this standard. The extra investment, including ring‑fenced funds for hiring more clinical staff, is designed to support this shift and improve overall accessibility to general practice services.

Critics — including the British Medical Association — have expressed caution, warning that delivering same‑day access consistently could be challenging given existing workforce and workload pressures. However, supporters argue the reform addresses a core frustration for many patients who currently face long waits for GP appointments, and could reduce demand on emergency care by ensuring urgent conditions are treated promptly in primary care.

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