In response to these findings, Sophie McGarry, solicitor at Patient Claim Line<\/a>, has set out your legal position on face\u2011to\u2011face appointments and what to do if you feel you\u2019ve been misdiagnosed after a remote consultation.<\/p>\n MORE ON HEALTHDo you have a legal right to a face\u2011to\u2011face GP appointment?<\/p>\n NHS England guidance states that GP practices in England must offer in\u2011person appointments<\/a> if patients request them, unless there are clear clinical reasons not to – for example, if someone is displaying Covid\u201119 symptoms. Failing to provide access to a face\u2011to\u2011face appointment, or making it unreasonably difficult to book one, can breach NHS requirements. <\/p>\n While there is no absolute legal entitlement to insist on an in\u2011person consultation if a GP clinically decides a remote review is appropriate, patients are entitled to ask for one and to receive a clear explanation if it is refused.<\/p>\n You also have the right to see a healthcare professional within 48 hours if it is considered necessary. If your request for a face\u2011to\u2011face appointment<\/a> is turned down, you can escalate your concerns to the practice manager or make a formal complaint.<\/p>\n What should you do if you are not offered an in\u2011person appointment?<\/p>\n A letter sent by NHS England to GP practices in May 2021 made it clear that practices must provide information – on their websites at a minimum – explaining:<\/p>\n How to contact the surgery for helpHow to access face\u2011to\u2011face or walk\u2011in services<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t find this information, Sophie advises asking your surgery directly. If staff push back, remind them of NHS England\u2019s guidance<\/a> that practices must respect patient preferences for face\u2011to\u2011face care where clinically appropriate. She said: \u201cIf GPs or receptionists continue to refuse, you can escalate to the practice manager and ask for a clear explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n How to book, change or cancel a GP appointment<\/p>\n You can contact your GP surgery by phone, online or in person. Staff may ask for details about your symptoms to triage appropriately and ensure you see the most suitable healthcare professional, reports\u00a0the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> \u201cRemote consultations are useful for minor issues, but in\u2011person appointments are generally safer,” Sophie explains. “GPs can examine you directly, perform tests, and pick up on incidental findings that might be missed over the phone or video. Sensitive or complex issues are also often easier to discuss in person, where patients feel more supported and can focus entirely on the consultation.\u201d<\/p>\n Telephone or video consultations can leave patients feeling disconnected and may take place when the patient is distracted – such as during work or travel – limiting the quality of the interaction.<\/p>\n Potential risks of remote consultations<\/p>\n NHS England<\/a> has highlighted several risks associated with remote assessments, including:<\/p>\n Delayed or missed diagnosesOver or under investigation of patientsIncreasing the burden on clinicians to make judgements remotelyReduction in the therapeutic relationship between patients and cliniciansIncrease in the transactional aspect of care over personalisation, where patients experience limited interactions remotely or feel they are unable to see their doctor face-to-faceMissed opportunities to pick up on subtle cues during a face-to-face consultationDigital exclusion of certain patient groupsIncreasing complexity for reception staff when booking in patients to different consultation typesBarriers to technology or simple blockers, such as a poor phone signal, can become problematic for patients being asked to consult remotelyWho is harder to assess remotely?<\/p>\n Children, older people and patients with mental health challenges<\/a> or communication difficulties may be particularly difficult to assess over the phone or video. For example:<\/p>\n Children may struggle<\/a> to describe symptomsOlder adults might have hearing difficulties or be less comfortable with technologyPatients discussing sensitive mental health issues may feel more able to open up in personWhy some conditions require in\u2011person or intimate examinations<\/p>\n Certain conditions simply cannot be accurately diagnosed without physical examination. For example:<\/p>\n Lumps or skin changes often need to be seen and felt to assess size, location, and textureInternal assessments such as a rectal exam or a speculum exam cannot be performed remotelyLimb ischaemia, blood pressure checks, or ear, eye, and mouth assessments require hands\u2011on evaluation<\/p>\n NHS England<\/a> also advises against asking patients to send intimate images or self\u2011examine intimate areas during remote consultations. In these cases, a face\u2011to\u2011face appointment should be arranged, with a chaperone offered as appropriate.<\/p>\n What if you feel you have been misdiagnosed remotely?<\/p>\n If you believe a telephone or video consultation has resulted in a misdiagnosis, you should:<\/p>\n Request an in\u2011person appointment with your GP, explaining your concernsIf refused, ask for a second opinion or escalate to the practice managerFor urgent or worsening conditions, visit a walk\u2011in centre, urgent care centre, or A&E depending on the severity<\/p>\n For example, if you have discovered a lump, make it clear that you believe a physical examination is needed to determine whether further investigation or referral is required.<\/p>\n Did you know you can choose your hospital?<\/p>\n If you are referred for further care, you have the legal right to choose the hospital\/clinic<\/a> or a mental health service<\/a> (including many private providers offering NHS services) and, in many cases, the consultant-led team.<\/p>\n You can book through the NHS e\u2011Referral Service<\/a> while at your GP surgery or online, using the shortlist of hospitals or services provided in your appointment request letter. The shortlist is selected by your GP, so make sure you tell them about your preferences during the appointment. You have the legal right to ask for your appointment to be moved to a different provider if you’re likely to wait longer than the maximum waiting time specified for your treatment. The hospital or integrated care board (ICB) will have to investigate and offer you a range of suitable alternative hospitals or clinics that would be able to see you sooner. Read the\u00a0guide to waiting times<\/a>\u00a0for more information.READ NEXT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: In most cases, you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you’d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,7106,104,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-10810","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthcare","10":"tag-national","11":"tag-nhs","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Obsessed](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/wellnesswatch-whatsapppromoapp.png\")
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\nAre face\u2011to\u2011face appointments better?<\/p>\n