Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department issues to GP practices on providing face to face appointments for patients.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance states that general practices must offer face to face appointments alongside remote appointments, both by telephone and online, and that clinical appropriateness and patient preference should be taken into account. Online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing general practice and practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are not disadvantaged.