Therese Coffey has admitted her pledge that people will be able to see a GP within two weeks could mean them just receiving a phone call.
The health secretary has unveiled a NHS plan to improve access to doctors, it includes an expectation that patients can see a GP within two weeks or the same day in urgent cases
But speaking to LBC on Thursday morning, Coffey - who is also deputy prime minister - conceded this did not necessarily mean an in-person appointment.
Asked whether a telephone or video consultation would meet the target, she said: “I think that’s open to the relationship between the GP and the patient.
“I know that, throughout the pandemic, there’s been a variety of ways that people have interacted with seeing their GP. I’m not going to be overly prescriptive.
“I know that some people enjoy just having a phone call, but may need to go in and see the doctor, I know that other patients are very keen in that regard.”
Coffey also did not say whether GPs who underperformed would face any sanctions.
She said publishing data on how practices performed would give patients the “opportunity to choose” a different GP.
Leading GPs have slammed the move, saying they will have “minimal impact” on patient care.
And publishing “league tables” of surgeries will not “improve access or standards of care”, the Royal College of GPs said.
Beccy Baird, senior fellow at the King’s Fund, said the demand for appointments “has been rising inexorably and services have been struggling to meet that demand for some time”.
She added: “Setting new expectations and targets will not suddenly increase the capacity in general practice.”