Margaret calls her GP practice at 08:01. She listens to the recorded message, presses the right option, then joins the queue. Ten minutes pass. Then fifteen.
Eventually, she hangs up.
It is not the first time this has happened. She tells herself she will try again later, although is already wondering whether her symptoms are serious enough to bother with. For many patients, this is where frustration quietly becomes delay.
For practices, it becomes something else entirely: a missed call, an unresolved request and another patient who has not accessed the care they needed.
Situations like this are becoming increasingly familiar across primary care. NHS England published record GP access figures in March 2026, showing that patients made 83 million online consultation requests over the previous 12 months, with February alone seeing 8.6 million submissions – up 85% on the year before. Alongside growing digital demand, practices are also managing sustained pressure on phone lines and patient expectations around access.
Changes to the GP contract in 2026/27 place a renewed focus on improving patient access and strengthening access data across Cloud-based telephony and online consultation services, helping practices better understand missed demand, patient experience and where inequalities in access may exist.
Yet while digital access continues to expand, one challenge remains clear: equitable patient access means recognising that not every patient wants to access care in the same way.
A recent ‘Care on hold’ report from charity Re-engage found that one in three people aged over 75 could only book GP appointments digitally, while 77% said they did not want online booking to become more common. Nearly 90% still preferred accessing care by phone or in person.
The issue is not digital access itself. It is whether all patients still have a genuine choice.
Keeping equitable patient access open by phone
Now imagine a different morning.
David calls his practice shortly after breakfast. He has a lingering chest infection and wants advice before it gets worse. Like many patients, he still prefers using the phone because it feels familiar and straightforward.
This time, however, he is not held in a long queue waiting to speak to reception.
Instead, he is given the option to speak to a Voice Agent through Omni Consult. He explains his symptoms naturally, in his own words, just as he would to a receptionist. The system checks key details with him before submitting the request directly into the practice workflow.
The process feels simple because it remains phone-based. David has not needed to download an app, complete an online form or wait on hold during the busiest part of the morning.
For the practice team, the request arrives structured and ready for triage without requiring a receptionist to manually capture every detail during periods of peak demand. Staff can also access reporting to understand consultation status (triaged, waiting, incomplete), whether patients are using the Voice Agent, web form or going through reception, as well as the success rate for each method.
Importantly, this is not about replacing human interaction. It is about creating more flexibility in how patients access care.
As healthcare continues to digitise, convenience for some patients cannot come at the expense of accessibility for others. Automated access routes like Voice Agents can play a positive role here. Patients who are comfortable speaking to an automated agent can use that route to submit requests, helping reduce pressure on reception phone lines during peak times.
That matters for patients like Margaret. When fewer callers are waiting in long queues for routine requests, practices are better able to keep phone access available for people who still prefer or need human support. Digital transformation should expand choice, not limit it.
The NHS itself has reinforced this balance. While online consultation requests continue to expand, NHS England has stated that digital routes are intended to complement, not replace, telephone and in-person access.
In practice, equitable patient access is not about moving everybody towards the same channel. It is about giving patients different ways to access care based on what feels most comfortable and accessible to them. Voice access in primary care is one example of how practices can modernise access without removing patient choice.
Equitable patient access should adapt to the patient
Not every patient wants to call.
Amir is 42 and working shifts when he notices his asthma symptoms worsening. Calling the practice during the day is difficult enough, but English is also not his first language. In the past, he might have delayed seeking help simply because the process felt stressful.
Instead, he visits his practice website on his phone and notices a friendly digital assistant pop up:
“Hi, I’m Charli, your digital assistant. How may I help you today?”
Able to converse in over 100 languages, Amir begins speaking with the digital assistant in his preferred language through his browser translation settings. The process feels clear and manageable. The digital assistant links out to his practice’s online consultation form and he submits his request in a few minutes without needing to wait in a phone queue or ask somebody else for help.
Not only does intelligent navigation help to make online consultation tools safer, this is where digital access can strengthen equitable patient access.
The Re-engage report found that around 75% of older people surveyed lacked either the equipment or skills to book digitally, while many also reported feeling isolated by the increasing shift towards online-only access. At the same time, other patient groups actively benefit from flexible digital routes like Surgery Assist, particularly when language and accessibility barriers are reduced.
The challenge for practices is not choosing between phone or digital. It is creating access models that support both to end the digital divide in care.
Equitable patient access supports patients and practices
When access works properly, the difference is felt on both sides of the conversation.
Patients spend less time waiting or repeating information. Reception teams are under less pressure during peak periods. Clinicians receive clearer consultation requests, helping them prioritise care more effectively.
Importantly, alternative access routes can also help practices keep traditional phone lines available for patients with more complex needs or those who simply feel more comfortable speaking to a person directly. Supporting equitable patient access means recognising that different patients will need different routes into care.
That balance is becoming harder to achieve as demand continues to rise. NHS England published Record GP access figures in March 2026, showing that patients made 83 million online consultation requests over the previous 12 months, with February alone seeing 8.6 million submissions – up 85% on the year before. This reflects changing patient behaviour as well as increasing pressure on services.
But access should not become a competition between channels.
Some patients will always prefer to call. Others will choose digital convenience. Many will move between both depending on circumstance, confidence or need.
The practices creating better experiences are increasingly those that recognise this reality and build access around patients, rather than expecting patients to adapt to systems that do not work for them.
Because for patients like Margaret, Amir and David, access is never just operational. It is personal.
Want to see how voice access can reduce pressure on phone lines while preserving true patient choice?