‘Total triage’: what new NHS guidance means for patients

Critics say remote consultations must not become the ‘default’

A woman attends a remote GP appointment
(Image credit: BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Doctors have been told to discourage patients from seeking face-to-face appointments and instead promote the use of virtual consultations in new NHS guidelines.

GPs are to implement a system of “total triage”, which means anyone wishing to see their doctor must first have a consultation online or by telephone, reports The Telegraph.

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