Petition · past parliament
Open GP surgeries with face to face appointments immediately
Rejected
15 signatures
What the petition asks
Enforce the opening up of GP surgeries with immediate effect.
Count less people are not being diagnosed in time inc. Cancer and lives are being lost.
Count less people are not being diagnosed in time inc. Cancer and lives are being lost.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign this petition calling for a similar action: Create a legal right for patients to receive timely face-to-face GP appointments
Decisions on when to offer a face to face, as opposed to a remote, consultation are an operational decision for GPs and NHS Trusts.
You may be interested to know that NHS England wrote to GP practices on 13 May, specifying that practices must make a clear offer of face to face appointments, and respect patient preferences for face to face appointments where clinically appropriate. You can read the letter here:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/B0497-GP-access-letter-May-2021-FINAL.pdf
Decisions on when to offer a face to face, as opposed to a remote, consultation are an operational decision for GPs and NHS Trusts.
You may be interested to know that NHS England wrote to GP practices on 13 May, specifying that practices must make a clear offer of face to face appointments, and respect patient preferences for face to face appointments where clinically appropriate. You can read the letter here:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/B0497-GP-access-letter-May-2021-FINAL.pdf
Timeline
| 1 Sep 2021 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 7 Sep 2021 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
15
Status
Rejected
Rejected
7 Sep 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.