NHS doctor explains major changes coming to all GP surgeries from October 1

An NHS doctor has provided guidance on major changes being made to GP surgeries from October 1, 2025. Dr Tim Mercer, who regularly shares medical advice via TikTok, explained in a video he decided to take action online after realising some of his patients believed the forthcoming changes were down to him.

"General practice triage is the direction of NHS England," he began in a caption. "I think my patients were under the impression that perhaps moving to total triage was my decision but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The only decision I made was to start September 1 so if anything went horribly wrong we could turn it off and fix the problem before October 1!"

Dr Mercer explained in his clip the biggest change is what happens when you contact your practice to request an appointment. "From October 1, all surgeries will be required to have the new charter, 'You and your general practice' and they'll have to maintain the principles outlined within it," he said.

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Adopting this charter means GPs must be open from 8:00am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, according to Dr Mercer, and throughout these hours they can be contacted in person, via a phone call, online or through the NHS app.

Dr Mercer continued: "The current system means you contact the surgery and they give you an appointment at some point in the future that kind of meets your request... some level of triage takes place by the receptionist, but clearly the patients are not happy about this."

With NHS England's new charter, however, this will hopefully change. As the GP pointed out: "Whether you make your request by phone, online or visiting the practice, you have to give us some details and then we can assess what is best for you based on your clinical need."

Sharing a screenshot of the official guidance, Dr Mercer added: "We will consider your request for an appointment or for medical advice and tell you within one working day what will happen next."

He elaborated by noting that while in the current system "you may call and be told by the receptionist you can have an appointment two weeks on Thursday", the change will result in you calling the GP to request an appointment and having to wait to for the time it to be allocated within one working day after the GP has "triaged everything from the pile".

Frustrated, Dr Mercer declared: "It's not the receptionist's fault. It's not my fault. This is not what any of us decided. This is what NHS England has told us we have to do."

As a consequence the doctor advised that from October 1, your requests could result in an appointment "that day, the subsequent day, or it might just be a text message or advice to go to the pharmacy or another NHS service".

NHS England's website adds: "Your practice will decide what is best for you based on your clinical need. Your practice cannot tell you to just call back the next day."

Dr Mercer acknowledged: "Although for the majority of circumstances, we're going to try to give you what you want because often what the patient wants in the end is what they need - or at least we can negotiate it."

He closed by detailing the big change that patients "will be happy about", meanwhile, namely that "practices can't just say, 'Just call back tomorrow at 8am'."

The NHS adds further details: "You might be offered a face-to-face appointment or a phone call with a GP or other member of the practice staff, like a nurse or pharmacist. If you have a carer, they can speak for you with your consent.

"You can ask to see a preferred healthcare professional, and the practice will try to meet your request, although you might have to wait longer for that person to be available. It can be helpful to see the same healthcare professional, particularly if you have a long-term health condition."

Meanwhile, in order to assist in the process and transition, the NHS has several suggestions, which it explains on its website:

Be prepared: Before an appointment, think about writing down your symptoms, what you are worried about and what you want to talk about.

Be on time: Being late for an appointment or being unavailable for a timed call-back can affect other patients.

Cancel if needed: If you can’t go to your appointment, tell the practice as soon as you can, so that they can offer it to someone else.

Use the NHS App or website: If you’re confident using smart phones or computers, you can book or cancel appointments, order repeat prescriptions, and see your test results online.

Turn on notifications: If you use the NHS App, turn on notifications so the practice can contact you more easily. Please keep an eye out for messages.

Order repeat medicines on time: Make sure you ask for repeat prescriptions on time, so you don’t run out, and only order what you need.

Join the Patient Participation Group: You practice will have a group of patients who can offer feedback on the services it delivers. Your practice website should explain how you can join.

Full guidance, provided by the NHS can be found here.