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<p>NHS England and NHS Improvement wrote to general practitioners (GPs) on 19 July
2021, stating that GP contractors should continue to offer a blended approach of face-to-face
and remote appointments, with digital triage where possible.</p><p>While we know that
telephone or online consultations can provide extra flexibility and convenience for
patients, their input into the choice of consultation mode should be sought and practices
should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons
to the contrary, for example the presence of COVID-19 symptoms.</p><p>To expand general
practice capacity, we have made available an additional £270 million from November
2020 until September 2021 to ensure GPs and their teams are able to continue to support
all patients during the pandemic.</p>
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