Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle GP workload.

We are tackling general practitioner (GP) workload by investing in the Releasing Time to Care Programme and expanding the skill mix in general practice. The Releasing Time for Care Programme is designed to help practices implement change to release time more quickly and sustainably. As of October 2017 a series of workshops have reached around 4,800 participants, and survey responses suggest that attending the workshop has had an immediate and substantial effect on practices’ optimism.

We are widening the skills mix by investing in the wider general practice workforce in extra mental health therapists, clinical pharmacists, general practice nurse development, training of current reception and clerical staff, training of physician associates, pilots of new medical assistant roles, and practice manager development nationwide to free up valuable GP time.