The Rise of Telehealth in GP Clinics: What’s Driving Adoption

Telehealth for GP clinics is transforming the way general practitioners deliver care, manage appointments, and communicate with patients.

What began as a temporary solution during the pandemic has now become a long-term strategy for improving access, efficiency, and patient satisfaction.

Across the UK, over 33% of GP appointments now take place remotely, reflecting a clear shift toward hybrid healthcare models that combine in-person and digital care.

Understanding telehealth in modern general practice

Telehealth — often referred to as telemedicine — enables clinicians to assess, diagnose, and treat patients remotely through secure digital communication.

In general practice, this usually includes:

• Video consultations
• Phone calls
• Secure messaging portals.

It extends care to patients who might otherwise face barriers such as mobility issues, travel distance, or time constraints.

Today, many GP practices combine traditional in-person care with remote options by using digital tools that support mobile working, teleconsultations, and connected patient records. These tools help clinicians deliver care flexibly while keeping clinical data secure and centrally managed.

Pabau is a comprehensive practice management system that brings together scheduling, online booking, teleconsultations, and digital medical records into a single, secure platform.

Within Pabau, features such as Pabau Go — which allows clinicians to access patient records, appointments, and notes from any device — and Care Plus, which enhances digital patient management with advanced forms, labs, and clinical workflows, help practices deliver a seamless, hybrid care experience for both clinicians and patients.

What’s driving the adoption of telehealth in gp clinics?

The growth of telehealth is not just a technological trend; it’s driven by structural, regulatory, and patient-centred changes. Several key factors are propelling this shift:

Regulatory and compliance considerations

Adopting telehealth means understanding how it fits within healthcare regulations.

In the UK, GP clinics must comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, alongside NHS and CQC requirements for data protection, confidentiality, and information governance.

Systems like Pabau are designed to meet these frameworks by offering role-based access controls, audit logs, and encrypted data transmission.

For NHS-partnered practices, compliance extends to the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) and CQC’s clinical governance standards. Telehealth solutions that maintain clear audit trails and secure communication channels are increasingly favored during inspections.

Did you know: Many patients are willing to continue using telehealth, with one nationally representative U.S. survey finding that about 66.5% of adults said they would like at least some of their care to be delivered via video visits in the future.

Benefits of telehealth for GP clinics

When integrated effectively, telehealth offers measurable benefits across operational, clinical, and patient experience dimensions:

• Improved access and flexibility: Patients can receive consultations without travelling, reducing missed appointments and increasing engagement.
• Enhanced continuity of care: Clinicians can easily review patient histories, prescriptions, and lab results within one platform.
• Reduced administrative load: Digital booking and e-consultation tools reduce front-desk tasks.
• Better data capture: Digital notes, consent forms, and outcome tracking are automatically stored in the patient record.
• Compliance and audit readiness: Automated logs, digital signatures, and secure messaging meet documentation standards.

The role of integrated systems like Pabau

While many clinics rely on multiple apps for scheduling, video calls, and documentation, unified systems like Care Plus simplify this by connecting everything into one secure hub. With Echo AI, clinicians can transcribe consultations and automatically update clinical notes. This reduces manual entry, improves accuracy, and saves time — all while maintaining full compliance.

Meanwhile, Pabau’s E-prescribing tools allow GPs to issue repeat prescriptions during virtual consultations, linked directly to pharmacy integrations. Patients can receive medications without visiting the practice, enhancing continuity of care and convenience.

Key technologies enabling the shift

Several technologies underpin the telehealth revolution in primary care:

• Secure video conferencing: Enables real-time remote consultations and group sessions.
• Electronic medical records (EMR): Centralized systems store patient histories, prescriptions, and forms securely.
• AI-assisted note-taking: Voice recognition tools capture notes during sessions to reduce admin load.
• Digital forms and e-consents: Ensure compliance while improving patient onboarding experiences.
• Analytics and reporting: Offer insights into appointment patterns, patient satisfaction, and service efficiency.

Barriers to adoption

Despite clear advantages, some GP clinics face hurdles in implementing telehealth fully:

• Digital inequality: Some patients lack the devices or internet connection needed for video consultations.
• Clinician resistance: A minority remain concerned about the perceived loss of personal connection and diagnostic accuracy.
• Data security concerns: Clinics must ensure systems are compliant with GDPR and local healthcare standards.
• Integration challenges: Using disconnected systems can lead to duplication, errors, and inefficiency.

Future outlook: hybrid care as the new normal

The future of general practice lies in hybrid care — a blend of digital and in-person interactions.

Physicians report increased use of telemedicine since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 76% indicating higher adoption and nearly 90% expecting telehealth to continue growing as part of routine clinical practice.

The next decade will likely see virtual care embedded in routine primary care, supported by AI diagnostics, wearable data integration, and remote monitoring devices.

For GP clinics, this means shifting from reactive to proactive models of care — where patient data, virtual consultations, and analytics drive decision-making.

Platforms like Pabau make this transformation achievable by offering fully integrated workflows, from scheduling and consent management to teleconsultation and follow-up.

Conclusion

The rise of telehealth in GP clinics represents a fundamental evolution in how care is delivered. Beyond convenience, it enhances patient outcomes, improves operational efficiency, and supports long-term sustainability. As regulations mature and digital literacy increases, telemedicine will become a cornerstone of patient-centred healthcare.

Clinics embracing integrated systems like Pabau can ensure they stay ahead — delivering secure, compliant, and compassionate care in an increasingly connected world.

References

• Digital Health (2025): Lovell T. A third of GP appointments in England were carried out remotely, according to NHS data analysis (August 5, 2025). Overall remote consultations (phone + online) reached 33.3 % in June 2025, up from 30.9 % in June 2024. https://www.digitalhealth.net/2025/08/a-third-of-gp-appointments-in-england-carried-out-remotely/

• JAMA Network Open (2021):
  Reed ME, Huang J, Brand R, et al. Assessment of patient preferences for telehealth in post–COVID-19 pandemic health care. JAMA Network Open. 2021;4(10):e2127895. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2786700

• GlobalData (2024):
  GlobalData. Majority of UK physicians see continued rise in telemedicine usage, reveals GlobalData. 22 Jul 2024. https://www.globaldata.com/media/pharma/majority-uk-physicians-see-continued-rise-telemedicine-usage-reveals-globaldata/
• American Medical Association (2024):
  AMA. Patient-Facing Telehealth: Use Is Higher Than Pre-Pandemic But With Great Variation Across Physician Specialties (Policy Research Perspectives). 2024. https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2024-prp-telehealth.pdf