GP practice services

Your GP practice team has a range of healthcare professionals with the expertise to help treat a range of conditions.  

You might not always need to see a GP. Nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and healthcare assistants are all trained professionals working in a practice who can diagnose and treat a range of conditions. Find out more about the different professional roles in general practice.

If your GP thinks that you need further tests or specialist treatment they can refer you to hospitals and other medical services.

Registering with a GP 

You need to be registered with a GP to get medication, tests and treatments, hospital referrals, and invitations to vaccinations and cancer screening. 

Anyone in England is entitled to register with a GP practice and to see a GP when they need to. You do not have to have a fixed address and you do not have to show ID, or proof of address or immigration status.  

Children are not automatically registered with a GP when they are born. You need to register them with your GP.

To find your local GP practices go to the Your area section of our website and follow the link for your council (or local authority) area.

Using online forms to contact your GP surgery 

You can usually contact your GP surgery using a secure and confidential online form on their website. This is often called an eConsult form.

You can use the online form to let a GP know about symptoms your concerned about, ask a question or follow up about something. This could be about your own health or on behalf of someone you care for. Your GP surgery will use the information you give them to make sure you get the right help. 

Do not use an online form if you have an urgent medical problem. 

You can also download and use the NHS App to contact your GP practice, book appointments and view your patient record.

Using digital GP services 

You can also register for an online account with your GP practice to access essential services through their patient portal.  

Once you have registered and your practice has set you up on their online portal you can: 

• Book and cancel appointments with your doctor, nurse or GP team member.  
• Order repeat prescriptions, which will automatically be sent to your chosen pharmacy 
• Securely view parts of your GP medical record. 

Telephoning your GP practice

If you can’t contact your GP practice online or digitally, you can still telephone them but you might have to wait at busy times. To make things easier for patients practices have put in extra phone lines or improved their telephone system if they have been able to.

To free up phone lines for urgent calls or for people without online access please use online services or the NHS App to seek help if you can. Your practice website will have information about different ways of contacting them.

Reception staff answering the phones need to ask questions to make sure you are offered the best type of appointment. This might be with different members of the general practice team. Find out more about additional roles in general practice.

Please be respectful to the NHS staff who are working hard to help you.

Different types of appointment

General practice teams offer telephone appointments as well as face-to-face appointments. For many simple problems telephone appointments are convenient for patients. They are also efficient for the practice, helping them help more people. 

If you have online access, your practice may ask you to send photos via email, or offer you a video consultation. 

Your practice will arrange an appointment at the practice if the doctor or health  professional needs to see you.