Website aims to boost online access to GP services in SW England

More than 60 GP practices in the south west of England have adopted a standardised website platform designed to encourage more patients to use online services.

Designed by digital agency Spindogs, the web and app platform offers a preconfigured website for GP surgeries with clearly signposted options to book, change and cancel appointments online, as well as access to health information and digital triaging.

Patients can also obtain sick notes, request repeat prescriptions, access test results and register with a practice, all of which are designed to alleviate pressure on practice staff by making online booking systems a “first port of call” for patients.

The two-year, six-figure contract for NHS England is part of wider efforts to ease pressure on GP surgery phone lines and reduce the number of drop-in patients.

Liam Giles, managing director at Cardiff, Wales-based Spindogs, said: “A lack of confidence in the digital offerings of GP practices is causing patients to bypass GP websites entirely – favouring more traditional communication methods like telephone calls and in person visits – resulting in more work for staff and an inefficient system. 

“With so many GP surgeries at bursting point, creating or refining a website simply isn’t a priority in terms of time or financial resources for many of them.

“However, without an effective website in place, patients understandably turn to calling or visiting instead, which blocks phone lines and increases workload unnecessarily as many of their requests could be dealt with easily online.” 

The standardised design was developed with input from GPs, stakeholders and patients to ensure a “trusted, consistent and accessible experience for all users, regardless of their device, ability, reading age, or first language,” Spindogs said.

The company reported a 44% increase in online patient registrations and a 66% increase in online appointment bookings across sites where the platform had been implemented.

“This project has been more successful than we could have ever imagined, with many of the surgeries we’ve worked with reporting a significant drop in caller numbers, helping to streamline and improve patients’ experiences, reducing pressures on surgeries, and freeing up time for GPs and other staff.

“It’s a proven solution that works to empower patients to shift to online self-service.

“Our hope is that the project will be expanded further across the UK to provide a national framework for all GPs that is geared towards meeting the evolving needs of patients,” Giles added.  

Changes to the GP contract in February 2025 mean that GPs will be expected to offer patients the option to book appointments online by October 2025.