Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to ensure that primary care healthcare practitioners are (a) trained and (b) resourced to support patients with self-care.

No assessment has been made of the potential cost-saving, time-saving or patient benefits of using self-care in primary care settings.

Self-care is however an integral part of the NHS Long Term Plan and the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-24 five-year deal. All community pharmacies in England delivering services from the National Health Service must provide support for self-care, including for minor ailments. Under the five-year deal we have introduced the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service enabling NHS 111 and general practitioners (GPs) to refer patients with a minor illness to a community pharmacist for a consultation, advice and support for self-care and, if necessary, an over-the-counter medicine. The service can also provide an emergency supply of previously prescribed medicines. From 15 May, urgent and emergency care settings will also be able to refer patients to a community pharmacist for a consultation for a minor illness or urgent medicine supply.

GPs are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Good Medical Practice. In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, gives patients confidence that doctors are up to date with their practice and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.