A third of GP appointments in Greater Manchester took place remotely
A third of GP appointments in Greater Manchester in June took place over the phone or online, figures show.
Similarly, a third of GP appointments in England took place on the phone or online that month – the highest proportion since the pandemic.
The Royal College of GPs said these remote consultations "offer convenience and flexibility that many patients value", adding most appointments still take place in person.
NHS England data shows 465,830 (33 per cent) of all 1,391,517 GP appointments attended in the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board area in June were carried out over the phone or online.
It was up from 391,562 (28 per cent) a year earlier, and up from 430,178 in June 2020 – although the proportion was down from 50 per cent then.
Across England, a third (33 per cent) of GP consultations took place remotely in June – up from 30 per cent the previous year and the highest proportion since the pandemic.
Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: "Remote consultations, whether delivered over the phone or via video, can offer convenience and flexibility that many patients value, and evidence has shown that in the vast majority of cases, remote care is safe.
"Often a GP might initially consult with a patient remotely and then ask them to come into the practice if it’s necessary to see them in person."
Nationally, almost half (48 per cent) of GP consultations were carried out by phone or online in June 2020.
While this proportion fell as the impact of Covid-19 eased, it has risen again over the past two years with a strong increase in online appointments.
These accounted for just two per cent of GP consultations in June 2023, but jumped to five per cent by June last year and eight per cent in June this year.
However, face-to-face appointments remain the most common mode of consultation, accounting for 63 per cent of GP appointments in June.
In Greater Manchester, 64 per cent of consultations were carried out this way in June, and just two per cent were done through home visits.
Prof Hawthorne said many patients prefer accessing care in person rather than remotely.
She added that decisions on whether appointments should be carried out in person or remotely are made between clinicians and patients.
She said the Government "has put forward some encouraging proposals" to improve IT systems, but warned "significant investment" is needed to make this happen.
A record 383.3m GP appointments were recorded across England in the year to June, up from 375.7m the year before.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the Government had made "real progress fixing the front door of the NHS", recruiting more than 2,000 GPs and delivering an additional 7m GP appointments.
They added: "This Government is also clear that patients should have access to health and care when they need it and people who prefer a face-to-face appointment should have one, so we are transforming the NHS app to make managing your healthcare online easy and flexible."
An NHS England spokesperson said: "Every GP practice must offer face-to-face appointments where patients want or need them, and many patients choose remote appointments where it is clinically appropriate and more convenient for them.
"GP teams are working hard to offer better access for patients, with a record number of appointments being carried out in the last year and recent findings showing the number of patients who are satisfied with their practice has improved."