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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a comparative assessment of risks from extreme weather events to GP practices in (a) general, (b) deprived areas and (c) rural areas.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a comparative assessment of risks from extreme weather events to GP practices in (a) general, (b) deprived areas and (c) rural areas.
The provision and maintenance of premises are typically the responsibility of general practice (GP) partners, who are either owner-occupiers or tenants of their surgery buildings. GP owner-occupiers are responsible for all maintenance and repair of their property. For GPs that rent their premises, their lease agreement sets out who is responsible for maintenance.
GP premises improvement works can be National Health Service funded, from NHS England or the commissioner, funded by developer contributions, or self-funded by the practice. Often works are funded by a combination of these options. Under the Premises Costs Directions, which are directions to NHS England from my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the improvement of practice premises can be covered by premises improvement grants, subject to commissioner decision and affordability.
A cross-Government collaboration, which includes the NHS and the Department, produces an annual Adverse Weather and Health Plan that incorporates heatwave preparedness measures. Services are expected to be prepared for periods of hot weather from 1 June to mid-September each year. No comparative assessment of the risks has been made across GPs in the country.
Looking forward, NHS England's design and performance specification for Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) is clear that NHCs will be designed to be resilient to the impacts of climate change, including flooding and overheating. The specification states that centres should assess and mitigate flood risk and address overheating through appropriate building design and, where necessary, cooling measures to support safe care delivery. The specification is available at the following link:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on health inequality of the Plan B put to the GP Committee.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on health inequality of the Plan B put to the GP Committee.
We recognise that the British Medical Association (BMA) may choose to ballot its members on a range of issues. Such ballots are a matter for the organisation and do not in themselves determine Government policy. The National Health Service, including general practice, will always remain free at the point of use.
We remain committed to working constructively with the general practice profession, including the General Practitioners’ Committee for England of the BMA, to ensure that general practice is sustainable and continues to deliver high-quality care for patients.
The United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities, with life expectancy and healthy life expectancy varying widely both within and between communities. Through our 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to tackling the social determinants of health, improving healthy life expectancy for everyone and halving the gap between the richest and poorest regions.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of low digital literacy on patients ability to access GP services.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of low digital literacy on patients ability to access GP services.
The Government is committed to delivering digital services that are accessible and inclusive throughout the National Health Service, including in primary care.
NHS England has published a framework for National Health Service action on digital inclusion to support practical action. The Digital Exclusion Risk Atlas (DERA) is an online location-based analytical tool designed to help health and care system teams understand and identify patterns of digital exclusion across England.
DERA provides a range of data indicators to highlight areas where people may face barriers to accessing and using digital health and care services. By improving visibility of these patterns, DERA aims to support more targeted interventions and contribute to efforts to reduce health inequalities.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support patients without access to the internet to get appointments with GPs.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support patients without access to the internet to get appointments with GPs.
We understand that not all patients have access to or want to use online services. The GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a general practice (GP).
The 2026/27 GP Contract includes a new requirement for practices to enable online appointment requests throughout the duration of core opening hours, which will ease pressure on phone lines for people who prefer to telephone.
We are also improving capacity in GPs. We have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of over 2,000 individual GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. As a result, we have successfully delivered an additional 8.3 million GP appointments for patients compared to the same period last year, meaning more patients are getting the support they need, when they need it.
The Office for National Statistics’ Health Insight Survey from March 2026 shows that 73.7% of patients reported it was “easy” to contact their GP, up from 60.9% in July 2024.
Lords statement on the changes to the GP contract in 2026-27.
Lords statement on the changes to the GP contract in 2026-27.
My Lords, I am grateful to the Government for this repeat. The Minister in the other place pointed to 1.3 million referrals being diverted through something called “advice and guidance”. This means that GPs must seek input from a specialist before making a referral, but some professional bodies have warned...
My Lords, I am grateful to the Government for this repeat. The Minister in the other place pointed to 1.3 million referrals being diverted through something called “advice and guidance”. This means that GPs must seek input from a specialist before making a referral, but some professional bodies have warned...
As the noble Lord said, we have seen 1.3 million people diverted since April 2025. Otherwise, they would have been added to the electives waiting list, in clinical terms, unnecessarily. The main thing I can say to the noble Lord on advice and guidance is that I think the figures...
As the noble Lord said, we have seen 1.3 million people diverted since April 2025. Otherwise, they would have been added to the electives waiting list, in clinical terms, unnecessarily. The main thing I can say to the noble Lord on advice and guidance is that I think the figures...
My Lords, the Government have now mandated a cast-iron guarantee that GP practices’ online portals must remain open in core hours, but a portal is merely a digital letterbox, it is not a clinician. Has the department conducted a full clinical risk assessment of the danger of red-flag symptoms being...
My Lords, the Government have now mandated a cast-iron guarantee that GP practices’ online portals must remain open in core hours, but a portal is merely a digital letterbox, it is not a clinician. Has the department conducted a full clinical risk assessment of the danger of red-flag symptoms being...
When we develop digital approaches, I have to say again that the figures speak for themselves on, for example, patient satisfaction with general practice: people believe it is finally moving in the right direction. According to the Office for National Statistics, some 77% of people described contacting their GP as...
When we develop digital approaches, I have to say again that the figures speak for themselves on, for example, patient satisfaction with general practice: people believe it is finally moving in the right direction. According to the Office for National Statistics, some 77% of people described contacting their GP as...
My Lords, it is evident all over the country that there is an epidemic of sick notes. Is there anything that the Government are doing to strengthen the arm of GPs who try to resist giving a sick note on simple request?
My Lords, it is evident all over the country that there is an epidemic of sick notes. Is there anything that the Government are doing to strengthen the arm of GPs who try to resist giving a sick note on simple request?
If I have understood the noble Baroness correctly—forgive me if I have not—the GP contract does not address that directly. That is obviously a more general but important point about GPs’ practices and how they deal with matters. GPs are given advice in their updated training on how to manage...
If I have understood the noble Baroness correctly—forgive me if I have not—the GP contract does not address that directly. That is obviously a more general but important point about GPs’ practices and how they deal with matters. GPs are given advice in their updated training on how to manage...
My Lords, the new GP contract appears to be baking in access over continuity: my GP, when I want to see him. How will the Government protect continuity of care, which is after all what keeps the NHS safe and provides value for money, and which patients welcome?
My Lords, the new GP contract appears to be baking in access over continuity: my GP, when I want to see him. How will the Government protect continuity of care, which is after all what keeps the NHS safe and provides value for money, and which patients welcome?
We have already said that through our 10-year plan, and this contract very much ties into the main pillars of the plan. We found GP services in a very difficult and challenging state, as I know the noble Baroness will be more than aware. We regard GP services as the...
We have already said that through our 10-year plan, and this contract very much ties into the main pillars of the plan. We found GP services in a very difficult and challenging state, as I know the noble Baroness will be more than aware. We regard GP services as the...
My Lords, the Statement made in the other place refers explicitly to coastal areas and deprived places, and I welcome that. Will the Minister say something about how we can ensure that there is good access to GP services in rural areas?
My Lords, the Statement made in the other place refers explicitly to coastal areas and deprived places, and I welcome that. Will the Minister say something about how we can ensure that there is good access to GP services in rural areas?
The right reverend Prelate is right to raise this. We have been very concerned for some time about the inequalities in coastal areas and areas of greatest need, where healthy life expectancy is the lowest. That includes communities with higher deprivation levels. That is why we began our reforms last...
The right reverend Prelate is right to raise this. We have been very concerned for some time about the inequalities in coastal areas and areas of greatest need, where healthy life expectancy is the lowest. That includes communities with higher deprivation levels. That is why we began our reforms last...
I welcome some of the criteria that are going to be used, particularly for deprived communities, in relation to access, but there remains a postcode lottery in terms of access to GPs, particularly in deprived communities. My concern is that, with some of the algorithms and IT being used as...
I welcome some of the criteria that are going to be used, particularly for deprived communities, in relation to access, but there remains a postcode lottery in terms of access to GPs, particularly in deprived communities. My concern is that, with some of the algorithms and IT being used as...
It is important to say that online access does not sit alone. There is also in-person access, including telephone access if people prefer that. The intention is not—and it is not the practice—that they are just postboxes. They are dealt with. We constantly keep those approaches under review. Our expansion...
It is important to say that online access does not sit alone. There is also in-person access, including telephone access if people prefer that. The intention is not—and it is not the practice—that they are just postboxes. They are dealt with. We constantly keep those approaches under review. Our expansion...
Is there any monitoring of when GPs insist on a telephone call rather than a face-to-face meeting, or when things are sent by email to the surgery and they are then triaged by others rather than their normal GP? Is there any identifying of just how many cases they miss...
Is there any monitoring of when GPs insist on a telephone call rather than a face-to-face meeting, or when things are sent by email to the surgery and they are then triaged by others rather than their normal GP? Is there any identifying of just how many cases they miss...
All the systems are under constant review. It might be helpful if I point out to the noble Baroness that one of the key things in the GP contract for 2026-27 is the requirement for all clinically urgent patients to be dealt with on the same day. That is not...
All the systems are under constant review. It might be helpful if I point out to the noble Baroness that one of the key things in the GP contract for 2026-27 is the requirement for all clinically urgent patients to be dealt with on the same day. That is not...
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether GP practices, patient groups, and organisations representing areas of high deprivation will be invited to contribute evidence to the Carr Hill formula review.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether GP practices, patient groups, and organisations representing areas of high deprivation will be invited to contribute evidence to the Carr Hill formula review.
The Carr-Hill review has been commissioned through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and commenced in October 2025. The purpose of the review is to ensure that funding for general practices (GPs) is distributed equitably and is targeted towards areas that need it most. It is drawing on a range of evidence and advice from experts and is giving consideration to a broad range of factors relevant to the delivery of primary care services. The review team has engaged with a range of stakeholders, including partners at The Royal College of General Practitioners, the GP committee of the British Medical Association, the NHS Confederation, as well as international informants from different countries. Members of Parliament were also invited to share any relevant insights and evidence from their constituencies in the Dear Colleague letter sent in November 2025.
The first phase of the review is expected to conclude in March 2026. Subject to ministerial decision, further work would be undertaken to technically develop and model any proposed changes to the formula. Findings from the review, including methodology, will be published in due course by the NIHR, and Members of Parliament will be updated once the review findings are available.