On World Health Day 2026, we are calling on UK governments to make accessing GP appointments easier for older people as many practices continue to insist on online bookings only. 

We have discovered that one in three people aged 75 and over can only get to see their doctor if they book digitally, and the same proportion feel they are cut off from care. With nearly 90% of older people still trying to make appointments by phone or in person, we believe many of them are being cut off from their doctor, which risks increasing their loneliness and isolation.

Some people find booking systems so frustrating they resort to calling NHS 111, or even treating themselves, with one 92-year-old woman carrying out surgery on her hand with a knife sterilised on her kitchen hob. 

CEO Jenny Willott says our campaign report –  Care on HOLD – paints a “bleak picture” for older people trying to get a GP appointment in a digital society. She said: “The increasing use of online bookings is leaving older people frustrated, feeling they are being discriminated against and dehumanised. They clearly prefer to get a GP appointment by phone or in-person but say they are being left behind by the constant march of digitalisation."

“Some no longer bother even trying to get an appointment while others take the risky route of treating themselves. It really is a bleak picture. Delaying care can only exacerbate health issues, increasing the pressure on emergency services and straining healthcare resources. Loneliness is recognised as a major public health issue which is made worse by the lack of social connections. GP services must be readily available for isolated older people, we have to ensure there are no barriers that can threaten this vital lifeline.”

The NHS has a 10-year health plan which envisages a “fully digitally enabled service.” And while Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) insist that phone and in-person bookings are still available options for patients, the older people we surveyed reveal another side to the story.

One in three of 668 respondents said they could only get a GP appointment online, with more than three quarters (77%) saying they did not want this method of booking to become more prevalent. A similar proportion said they didn’t have the equipment or skills to book digitally, and 63% said online access increased their feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to ICBs and Health Boards revealed uneven GP access across the UK. In England 81% said telephone and in person appointments were available. In Wales it was 71% and 21% on Scotland. However, not all ICBs and health boards responded to the FOI requests.

We are calling for UK governments to:

• Ensure the choice of phone and in-person GP bookings remains.

• Include in GP contracts a condition that non-digital access will be available.

• Involve older people in shaping digital health policy and service design.

• Identify age groups affected adversely by digitalisation through centrally collected data.

Jenny added: “This quest for a digital default system is not helpful for many older people. Many lack the confidence to go online, or have impairments which makes this difficult. Not being able to see their doctor makes them feel disconnected, cut off from care, and just a number rather than a patient seeking help and reassurance.

“We must give older people the opportunity to voice their opinions on health policies that directly affect them.”