The October 2025 deadline for the new GP contract mandate is fast approaching, and for many practices, it brings a sense of apprehension. The requirement to provide all-day online access can feel like opening the floodgates to unmanageable demand. A recent poll conducted during our webinar on this topic revealed that 76% of practices are not currently open all day and do not feel prepared for this change.

But what if you could not only meet the mandate but also use it as an opportunity to enhance efficiency, take back control of your day, and improve patient care? Here’s how the Anima platform can help you turn this challenge into a sustainable operational model.

1. What is the GP Contract Mandate Asking of Medical Teams?

From October, all GP practices in the UK will be required to offer patients online access for non-urgent appointments, medication queries, and administrative tasks during core hours (8:00 am to 6:30 pm). The goal is to improve patient access, providing a digital route for those who can use it, thereby freeing up phone lines for those who need them most.

While the intention is positive, the practical reality raises concerns about managing a continuous flow of requests and preventing staff burnout to meet demands.

2. How Anima Supports All-Day Access Today

Anima is a next-generation care enablement platform designed to manage patient demand efficiently through a single, integrated system. It replaces the traditional "8 am rush" with a structured, controlled, and all-day total triage system.

The current data from our customers show that 92% of requests are resolved on the same day. When you compare that to the national average of 44.2%, that is a 2.1 times increase in capacity. The data also tells us that these requests are resolved from submission to completion within 57 minutes. Ultimately, supporting our practice teams to free up capacity, take back control of demands and save time. 

Here’s how Anima provides the framework to meet the mandate's requirements:

Total triage in a single inbox: Anima handles all inbound patient requests, whether they are submitted online by the patient or taken over the phone by reception staff. Every request lands in one unified dashboard, creating a single, clear workflow for the entire team.

Complete control over your hours: Your practice can set its operating hours to the mandated 8:00 am to 6:30 pm, or even extend them for specific request types, such as allowing administrative requests 24/7. You can even start accepting requests before 8:00 am so they are ready for your team when they arrive.

EHR integration saves time: Anima integrates seamlessly with EMIS and SystmOne. This allows your team to view patient context, send messages, and book appointments directly into your live rota from a single screen, eliminating friction and the need to switch between different systems.

3. Leveraging Routine Requests to Control Demand

The key to managing all-day access is not just being open, but controlling the flow of demand. Anima’s most powerful features are designed to help you do exactly that.

Step 1: Set safe daily limits

Within Anima, you can set daily limits for the number of medical and administrative requests your practice can safely handle based on your staffing levels for that day. For example, if you can handle 50 medical requests, the system will cap them once that number is reached.

Step 2: Switch to 'Routine Only' mode with a safety net

Once your daily limit for medical requests is met, Anima doesn't just shut off. Instead, it can be configured to only accept explicitly routine requests. This is the crucial safety net that allows you to remain compliant and accessible without being overwhelmed.

To ensure patient safety, anyone submitting a routine request must first answer two mandatory screening questions:

1. Is this an ongoing problem you've previously discussed with the practice? If they answer no, they are signposted to 111 or A&E.

2. Acknowledgement of a non-urgent response time. The patient must acknowledge they can wait for a reply. Your practice can customize this expected response time (e.g., 24 or 48 hours), setting clear expectations from the start.

These routine requests are clearly marked in the dashboard, and you can even filter them to appear last, allowing your team to prioritise urgent tasks first.

Step 3: Close requests with unprecedented efficiency 

With Anima, practices resolve 92% of requests on the same day, with an average resolution time of just 57 minutes from submission. This is possible because:

Better information upfront: The platform's structured questionnaires gather comprehensive information, and our AI assistant, Annie, provides a clear, easy-to-read summary for every case.

All-in-one workflow: You can message the patient, assign the request to a colleague, refer to Pharmacy First, send patient education materials, and book an appointment without ever leaving the request screen.

Smarter dispositions: Rich clinical data often shows that a request marked with red flags doesn't necessarily need a same-day appointment. This allows your team to allocate appointments more appropriately and protect valuable clinician time.

This efficiency translates into achieving an inbox-zero by lunchtime and freeing up capacity equivalent to a 2.1x increase compared to the national average.

You can also visit our recorded webinar for a full video walk-through of the above features.

👉 Webinar: Preparing for October - Are you ready for all day access?

4. Your Key Takeaways for October

The upcoming mandate doesn't have to be a source of stress. With the right tools, your practice can meet the new requirements while creating a more controlled and efficient environment.

• Control is paramount: You can stay open all day by using daily limits and a safety-netted 'routine only' mode to protect your team. Routine & Acute requests funnel in differently, letting you prioritise care without being overwhelmed.

• Efficiency is built-In: A total triage system, deep EHR integration, and AI-powered summaries drastically reduce administrative burden and speed up request resolution.

• Now is the time to prepare: Start implementing the changes now so you can ensure your team is confident and fully prepared long before the October deadline.

New to Anima? Book a free consultation below and we’d be happy to explore your practice’s specific needs.