Practices are to be set demanding new targets to book all appointments within a fortnight of patient requests – in a move that doctors’ leaders warned may accelerate the exodus from general practice.

The two week target for English practices is a centrepiece of announcements today by new Health Secretary Therese Coffey. The Department of Health today said it would be achieved partly by the publication of data and partly by releasing a million GP appointments by using more ancillary staff, especially GP assistants and nurse practitioners, to see patients. It also promised resources for new phone systems and practice level publication of data

Media reports suggested there would be a return to the controversial “name and shame” plan for practices that cannot meet the targets – a move that provoked GPs to vote on industrial action last year.

Dr Coffey will also call on a million volunteers – recruited during the pandemic – to return to the aid of the NHS and help tackle the crisis in social care. There will also be a drive to increase the number of medicines available over the counter at pharmacies – with contraception being a prime target.

Dr Coffey promised “a laser-like focus on the needs of patients, making their priorities my priorities and being a champion for them on the issues that affect them most.”

She is due to say: “Our Plan for Patients will make it easier to get a general practice appointment and we will work tirelessly to deliver that, alongside supporting our hardworking GP teams. We know this winter will be tough and this is just the first step in our work to bolster our valued NHS and social care services so people can get the care they need.

“From November, the NHS will accelerate the roll-out of new cloud-based telephone systems to make it easier for patients to get through to their general practice, with more phone lines to take calls from patients and provide information about their place in the queue or direct them to the right place for help.

“As part of the extra staff to support GPs to focus on seeing patients, the government will free up funding for practices to employ more roles, including GP assistants and more advanced nurse practitioners, in addition to the roles they are already able to recruit such as pharmacists, mental health practitioners and nursing associates. This supports the government’s commitment to deliver 26,000 more primary care staff to help improve access to appointments.”

But Royal College of GPs chair Professor Martin Marshall said 85% of appointments took place within two weeks of being booked.

He said: “Lumbering a struggling service with more expectations, without a plan as to how to deliver them, will only serve to add to the intense workload and workforce pressures GPs and our teams are facing, whilst having minimal impact on the care our patients receive. Today’s announcement is not a plan. We need to see the implementation of a new recruitment and retention strategy that goes beyond the target of 6,000 GPs pledged by the Government in its election manifesto, funding for general practice returned to 11% of the total health spend, investment in our IT systems and premises, and steps to cut bureaucracy so that we can spend more time delivering the care our patients need and deserve.”

The British Medical Association said the plans would hasten “the demise of general practice”.

BMA English GP committee chair Dr Farah Jameel said: “The target of GPs now offering appointments within two weeks is simply another addition to a tick-box culture highlighting a tone-deaf government approach when it comes to those delivering the service on the ground. Today’s GP workforce data shows that between August 2021 and August 2022 we lost the equivalent of 314 full-time GPs. We now have the equivalent of 1,850 fewer fully qualified full time GPs than we did in 2015, with 16% more patients per GP. We are losing more GPs than we can recruit and this combined with cost of living pressures is starting to spell the end of GP practices as we know them.”

She added: “If the new Health Secretary had met with us before this announcement we could have suggested a workable strategy to address the unfolding crisis before us for this winter and beyond – instead we have in reality minor tweaks that will make no tangible difference to patients struggling to access care.”

Ruth Rankine, director of primary care at the NHS Confederation, said: “While the devil will be in the detail, we welcome any support that will help to address general practice workload and ease the workforce crisis. However, these measures will not come close to ensuring patients who need to be seen can be within the timescales set out. Also, they will have minimal impact on fixing the current problems that general practice is facing over the winter and could compromise continuity of care.”

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “I know how much patients value timely, convenient access to GPs and primary care, the front door to the NHS, which is why we are continuing to drive improvements, including new roles to better meet patients’ needs and new tech to make contacting your local surgery easier.”