GP leaders have reacted with dismay to a Labour pledge that patients will get a choice of face to face appointments.

The proposal would limit practice ability to use phone screening and consultations. Speaking to the Labour conference yesterday Labour shadow health secretary Wes Streeting confirmed he wanted to give patients a “wider range of choice” so they can choose face to face or phone consultations. He also confirmed the party’s plan to double the number of doctors in training, suggesting that not just medical school places would be doubled but also training places in the NHS.

He said: “The next Labour Government will agree a ten year plan with the NHS to shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community. Our plan to recruit more doctors will deliver better access to GPs and ease pressure on A&Es.”

The British Medical Association described the appointment proposal as “divisive and disappointing”. Its GP committee chair Dr Farah Jameel said: “We simply don’t have enough doctors, and while it’s good to see Labour recognising the workforce challenges, it’s disappointing to see politicians once again making divisive headline-grabbing promises that are not grounded in reality, and which suggest the existing workforce are somehow not trying hard enough. We saw this last week with the Secretary of State’s announcement around two-week waits, which soon unravelled.Practices continue to offer a range of appointment modes, including phone, video and in-person, in the timeliest way they can, and endeavour to prioritise these based on clinical need and patient choice. Increasing medical school places is a good policy but won’t result in any newly-qualified GPs for another decade; all the while we are haemorrhaging early, mid-career and senior GPs.”

Royal College of GPs chair Professor Martin Marshall said: “GP access is important, but it is only a starting point to ensuring our patients receive the safe, personalised, and appropriate care they need. What we really need to address are the huge workload and workforce pressures that are the real reason why patients are facing such long waits to see a GP. GPs and our teams are delivering more patient consultations every month than before the pandemic with around 45% of those delivered on the same day they were booked, and around two thirds delivered in person according to the latest figures. The College has always said that post-pandemic, patients should be able to access GP care and services in a variety of ways depending on their health needs and preferences. This is already happening. Many patients will prefer to see their GP in person, but many also find remote consulting convenient and effective, and we know that good, safe and appropriate care can be delivered remotely.”