Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to make it easier for people to receive a GP appointment.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Government has committed to ensuring that by 2019 everyone in the country has easier and more convenient access to general practice services. This includes ensuring that access is available at peak times of demand, including bank holidays and across the Easter, Christmas and New Year periods.
The latest National Health Service planning guidance, published by NHS England in February 2018, brought forward the delivery timescale to 1 October 2018, to ensure additional capacity is in place ahead of winter 2018.
As part of the General Practice Forward View, published by NHS England in 2016, a number of initiatives were put in place to support practices and other providers to improve access to general practice services, building on successful approaches piloted through the GP Access Fund schemes. This includes delivering services at scale with better use of digital technology, using a wider workforce and enabling self-care and direct access to other services.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made on the number of adult social care respite beds provided by local authorities in each of the last five years.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The information requested is not centrally held.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to increase the number of GP's in more populated areas.
Answered by Steve Brine
NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) are working together with the profession to increase the general practitioner (GP) workforce. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why GPs are leaving the profession, and encourage GPs to return to practice.
The number of doctors entering speciality training has been increasing year on year. In 2017/18, there were 3,157 new starters recruited to speciality GP training posts, the highest number recruited ever. A £20,000 salary supplement is also available to selected trainees committing to completing their training in areas of the country which have historically struggled to recruit trainees.
In August 2017 NHS England announced plans to accelerate its international recruitment programme and recruit 2,000 doctors into English general practice over the following three years. To boost retention there is a broad offer available to support GPs to remain in the NHS including the GP Health Service, the GP Retention Scheme, and the recently launched £10 million GP Retention Fund which includes funds targeted at specific areas.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2018 to Question 132626, on Social Services: Minimum Wage, whether EU State Aid Rules allow the full provision of back-pay by the Government for sleep-in shifts.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 March 2018 to Question 133443.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2018 to Question 132626, on Social Services: Minimum Wage, whether EU State Aid Rules allow the full provision of back-pay by the Government for sleep-in shifts.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 March 2018 to Question 133443.