Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of NHS England's policy of mandatory Advice and Guidance and Elective Single Point of Access on GPs’ professional duties under General Medical Council guidance.

The 2026/27 GP Contract embeds the current Advice and Guidance (A&G) enhanced service funding into core practice funding. The contract does not mandate the use of A&G in all circumstances. Instead, practices are expected to use A&G in relation to a planned care referral where clinically appropriate, and to follow locally agreed referral pathways. This reflects longstanding planned care referral practice and does not alter existing legal or professional accountability frameworks for general practitioners (GPs).

GPs, and other primary care referrers, remain professionally accountable for making appropriate clinical decisions, including referring patients to specialist care when it is in the patient’s best interests. The use of A&G and Single Point of Access does not override those responsibilities or place GPs in conflict between contractual and professional obligations.