NHS England has reported that over one million patients have used the online Register with a GP service since its launch 18 months ago.
It said one in three practices are now offering the service, which was designed to make the process of registering with a GP simpler and more convenient for patients and practices.
It added that the latest figures show that 48% of registrations took place outside normal surgery opening hours and one in 15 accessed the service in another language.
All GP surgeries in England have been asked to offer the service.
Showing value
Dr Amanda Doyle, national director of primary care and community services for NHS England, said: “We’re delighted to have reached this milestone of one million GP registration forms submitted online in the last 18 months, which shows the value of the service for both patients and GP surgeries.
“The service not only reduces the administrative burden for general practice, but also makes GP registration much more accessible to the public – offering patients more choice, convenience and consistency.
“We continue to see a steady increase in the number of GP practices coming on board, which is helping them to save both time and money. By recently integrating the service with the NHS App, we hope even more GP practices will take advantage of this new digital tool.”
GP practices process 6.8 million registrations a year, with many still using paper forms, which often requires the patient having to visit the surgery in person to collect and submit paperwork.
NHS England said the online tool has been shown to save GP practice staff admin time.
