More than half of patients report easy GP access through NHS App

More than half (54.3%) of patients said it was easy to contact their GP practice using the NHS App, up from 49% in 2025 and 44.8% in 2024, the latest GP Patient Survey results show.

The survey, published by NHS England, covers local GP practice services, the last contact with the practice, the quality of care at the last appointment, overall experience of the GP practice, experience when the GP practice is closed, pharmacy services and NHS dentistry, as well as current health status.

Three million surveys were sent out in 2026, with 654,000 responses received, covering around 639,000 appointments.

Since 2024, the proportion of patients who last tried to contact their GP practice online has increased each year. The figure has risen to 30.8%, up from 22.4% in 2025 and 16.8% in 2024.

Patients who contacted their practice using the NHS App were the most likely to report a good overall experience (75.7%), with patients who last contacted their practice via another website or app (67.5%) reporting the least positive overall experience.

Beccy Baird, senior fellow at The King’s Fund, said: “Patients are starting to feel the benefits of improvements being made despite significant pressures facing services, as GPs and practice teams continue to deliver around 30 million appointments every month.

“Encouragingly, the survey shows that many patients report a positive experience when contacting their GP practice, with 73% saying their experience of contacting the last time they tried was good.

“This reflects the vital role that effective administration plays in helping people get the information they need to access care.

“A range of improvements are helping to make this easier, including the rollout of the NHS App and online consultation tools. Reception and admin staff are a crucial part of this picture, with 85% of patients saying that they are helpful, which is a rise on previous years.

“But the survey of more than 650,000 people also highlights persistent inequalities in patient experience.

“The NHS was founded on the principle that care should be available based on need, not postcode, yet too many people in more deprived communities continue to report worse experiences of care. Closing that gap is a moral imperative.”

However, concerns remain that increasing reliance on digital access risks excluding some patients. In May 2026, a study found that older people are being excluded from GP services because of a shift towards digital-first booking systems.

The report, ‘Care on hold’, published by the charity Re-engage, found that low internet use among older people, hard-to-navigate systems and the removal of traditional booking routes are leading to delayed care and increased pressure on emergency services.