GP practices are set to receive more cash this year to end the morning dash for appointments, ministers will announce this week.
A primary care plan drawn up by the NHS and Government will set out a £240million scheme to improve access to doctors.
It includes cash for upgrades to online and phone systems so patients can reach their surgery without the scramble for an 8am appointment.
Some 6,500 receptionists and staff will also receive extra training to act as “care navigators” and better direct people to the most suitable healthcare professional.
The Government said the plan would ensure that patients “never get engaged tones” and find out on the same day when and how they will see their GP rather than having to call back multiple times.
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Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “We are already making real progress with 10 percent more GP appointments happening every month compared to before the pandemic.
“I want to make sure people receive the right support when they contact their general practice and bring an end to the 8am scramble for appointments.”
Ruth Rankine, of the NHS Confederation, said services would only meet demand with action “to increase the actual numbers of GPs, nurses and other vital posts in the NHS at a time when there are over 130,000 vacancies”.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We need thousands more GPs as we were promised at the last election in 2019.”
