The government has announced plans to modernise and reform primary care.

Patients at all general practices across England will benefit from new digital phone lines which are designed to make booking GP appointments easier.

More than a thousand GP practices have already signed up to switch from analogue to digital phone systems. It is expected that every practice in England will have the new system in place by the end of the year.

It is hoped that patients will be able to contact their general practice more easily and quickly - and find out exactly how their request will be handled on the day they call rather than being told to call back later. If their need is urgent, they will be assessed and given appointments on the same day. If it is not urgent, appointments should be offered within two weeks, or patients will be referred to NHS 111 or a local pharmacy.

Health and social care secretary Steve Barclay said: "We are delivering on our promises to make access to GP appointments easier while boosting staffing numbers.

"With the support of NHS England, general practices, pharmacies and dental surgeries, backed by significant investment from the government we will bring an end to the 8am scramble for appointments.

"I’m delighted that over one thousand general practice surgeries will soon benefit from high tech designed to make booking an appointment as easy as possible for patients for years to come."

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