Health secretary Sajid Javid is facing double anger from doctors after threatening new steps to require practices to increase face to face appointments.

The Royal College of GPs accused him of failing to tackle a chronic shortage of GPs while the British Medical Association accused him of being “far removed from reality.”The BMA was also angered by Mr Javid’s alleged complacency over public health measures as he claimed that mask wearing was only necessary in the presence of “strangers.”

Mr Javid, who remained in post today after a cabinet reshuffle, made his comments in Parliament, stating: “I think everyone can understand why during the height of the pandemic that GPs couldn’t provide access in the normal way.nBut we’re way past that now, life is starting to return almost back to completely normal and as that is happening it should be happening in our GP surgeries too, and more GPs should be offering face-to-face access. We intend to do a lot more about it.”

BMA GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey said the comments showed “how far removed the Secretary of State is from the reality of what is happening in GP practices. They also reveal a lack of agreement even within Government as the Prime Minister says the pandemic is far from over and his Secretary of State is saying that life is starting to return almost to completely normal. To suggest a return to a pre-pandemic way of working is as impractical as it is unworkable for GPs. They need to see patients as safely as possible, often in premises unfit to do so and without anywhere near enough staff.”

RCGP chair Professor Martin Marshall said: “The real issue here is not about face to face consultations, but the chronic shortage of GPs caused by a decade of under-investment in the family doctor service by successive governments. Remote consultations have enabled GPs and their teams to carry on delivering essential care and services when other NHS services had to shut down. Face to face appointments and physical examinations have continued throughout, wherever clinically appropriate and safe to do so. Remote care is not substandard, and GPs work incredibly hard to deliver the same high-quality, care for their patients, whether a consultation is remote or face to face.

“We rarely hear about those patients who are very satisfied with being seen remotely by a GP and appreciate the convenience because it means they don’t have to take time off work or arrange childcare. There are some patients who find it easier to discuss more personal details about their health in a remote setting.

“We know that many patients will always prefer to see their doctor face to face, and many GPs prefer this method too as it can be easier to pick up on soft signs which can be useful in making a diagnosis. Face to face consulting is at the heart of general practice and will always be an essential part of it.”

BMA chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul referred to photos of the Cabinet meeting without wearing face masks, stating: “As the government’s own health advisers recognise, we are at a critical moment in the development of the pandemic. For a government which has extolled the importance of personal responsibility to show so little personal responsibility themselves is quite shocking. Ministers should be leading by example. COVID-19 is no less likely to pass between loved ones and friends than it is between strangers; it doesn’t discriminate. Evidence suggests that transmission within households has been a major feature of the pandemic.

“What is even worse is the dangerous message these comments and photographs send out to all of us as members of the public – a message that says the pandemic is over, life can go back to as it was before, and all will be well. This is far from the truth and the evidence shows that in no uncertain terms.”