Re-engage: Why digital-first GP access risks excluding older people (7 April 2026)

Summary

This report finds that one in three people aged 75 and over can only get to see their doctor if they book digitally, and the same proportion feel they are cut off from care. With nearly 90% of older people still trying to make appointments by phone or in person, Re-engage believes many of them are being cut off from their doctor, which risks increasing their loneliness and isolation. The report calls on UK governments to make accessing GP appointments easier for older people as many practices continue to insist on online bookings only.

Content

Key recommendations

• Embed in NHS digitalisation strategies the right for people to choose between digital or offline access when using health services, ensuring that digitalisation does not replace the option of non‑digital contact.
• Include in GP contracts a condition that analogue routes remain available by making non‑digital access a protected component of health digitalisation policy, so that no one is required to go online to receive care.
• Ensure older people are directly involved in shaping digital health policy and service design, so decisions reflect the needs and experiences of those most affected.
• Centrally collect and publish data from Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and health boards on both digital and analogue access, broken down by age, gender, disability and ethnicity, to make the impact of digitalisation visible and identify any groups disproportionately affected.