From 1st October 2025, online consultation tools must remain open during all core hours (8am-6.30pm) with mandatory 48-hour response times. Many practices currently manage demand by closing their systems when capacity is reached – this approach will no longer meet regulatory requirements.
Develop Consulting are supporting GP practices to transform this compliance challenge into operational advantage through our proven 6-session improvement programme.
Common issues we see:
The October legislation removes the option to simply close your system. Practices need sustainable processes to manage continuous digital demand alongside existing workload.
Our Online Consultation Support Programme applies proven Toyota Lean methodology, refined through 20+ years of healthcare improvement work across numerous practices and ICBs.
In the six sessions we will cover baseline assessment, process mapping, data analysis, action planning, implementation support, and success measurement to ensure your practice develops sustainable online consultation processes that meet October requirements whilst improving operational efficiency.
Baseline Assessment
Process Mapping
Data Analysis
Action Planning
Implementation Support
Success Measurement
Our approach applies proven Toyota Lean principles, refined through 20+ years of healthcare improvement work across numerous practices and ICBs. We focus on sustainable process improvement that builds your team’s capability for ongoing success.
Key benefits of our methodology include:
Face-to-face sessions delivered at your practice
6 sessions per practice over implementation period
Expert facilitators with extensive healthcare improvement experience
Hands-on implementation support, not just advice
Building your team’s capability for sustainable improvement
Understanding Current Process
Identifying weak points and solution generation
Capacity & Resourcing
Planning how to best resource and provide the right patient support
Understanding Barriers to OC
Both from a patient and practice perspective
Ideas Development
Working with the team to understand improvement/ future state opportunities
Patient Communications Plans
Developing a structured plan to educate patients in how the practice will be using OC
Improvement Implementation
Implementing improvements to support practice resilience and improved patient experience
Sessions are designed for practice decision-makers including practice managers, GP partners, digital transformation leads, and reception/care coordination staff responsible for online consultation management.
The 6 sessions are typically delivered over 8-12 weeks, allowing time for implementation between sessions. Timeline can be adjusted based on practice needs and October preparation requirements.
Our programme is designed to optimise existing processes as well as implement new ones. Many practices already using online consultation tools benefit significantly from process improvement and staff capability building.
Our methodology focuses on process improvement rather than technology. We work with all major online consultation platforms and adapt our approach to your existing systems.