The digital divide - October 2025
106 Surrey residents spoke to us at our community engagement events or responded to our survey.
Just over half of these people said they went online to engage with their GP practice with 38% using the NHS App.
However, when asked how people would prefer to make an appointment with their practice less than half chose online with the majority opting for the phone as an easier way.
There were mixed feelings when it came to GP practices using AI to carry out healthcare services, with people in general only being happy with limited uses and for certain, more non-clinical tasks.
The digital divide - October 2025
"I am trying to use the online system but it’s clunky. You have to over exaggerate your symptoms to get an appointment. I had 100 day cough in October and still had it in March so tried to make an appointment online but the system said I didn’t need an appointment or to see the doctor. I wasn’t sleeping because of the cough, I was exhausted. If you use buzz words like anxiety and depression, you will get an appointment. Getting seen relies on you knowing this which makes the system elitist."
