Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues to GPs on the use of telephone diagnosis.

The means by which a general practitioner (GP) consultation is conducted is entirely a matter for the practice and for the GP's clinical judgement. NHS England do not advise practices on the best means of diagnosis. However they would support the use of telephone consultation as it is a service that is valued by many patients and for some patients it would be their preferred method of receiving a service from the GP.

The Prime Minister's £50 million Challenge Fund will help over 1,100 practices, covering 7.5 million people, to develop new ways of improving GP access. This includes better access to GPs in evenings and at weekends and greater use of telephone, email and video consultations.