Ready for the October deadline?
Be prepared – without the chaos

NHS England requires that online consultation tools remain available throughout core hours (8:00 am – 6:30 pm) for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries, and administrative requests. You can no longer switch off online requests when your appointment slots are full.

Even if you currently offer online consultations, the new requirement means you cannot turn them off during core hours when you reach capacity. This will likely increase demand and requires new workflows, staff training, and patient communication strategies.

You'll need robust triage processes, clear escalation pathways, and efficient ways to manage increased patient demand. Our pack provides ready-made SOPs, scripts, and templates to handle these workflow changes effectively.

Unprepared practices risk staff overwhelm, patient complaints about delays or poor communication, potential CQC scrutiny for patient safety issues, and possible contract compliance problems with NHS England.

Yes, your reception and clinical staff will need training on new workflows, triage protocols, and patient communication. Our pack includes training resources, cheat sheets, and editable briefing slides to support this.

CQC expects practices to have safe, effective systems for managing patient access and clinical risk. The safety netting tools, audit logs, and risk register templates in our pack help demonstrate compliance with CQC requirements.