Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to minimise the use of automated telephone messages by (a) the NHS and (b) general practices.

Many National Health Service organisations, including general practices, use automated telephone messages as a way of reminding patients about their upcoming appointments. This can provide improved access to care for patients in a way that makes best use of clinicians’ time while avoiding missed appointments and their associated costs. We would expect NHS organisations to respond to feedback to ensure they use automated messages as effectively as possible and if patients wish to opt out of such reminders, they may contact their local NHS provider to request this.