Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of patients have attended accident and emergency departments because they have been unable to get a timely appointment with their GP in each of the last three years.

The proportion of patients who have attended accident and emergency (A&E) departments because they have been unable to get a timely appointment with their general practitioner (GP) is not held centrally.

The Government is committed to improving access to GP services. By 2020, everyone will be able to access routine GP appointments at evenings and weekends. 17 million patients have already benefitted from extended access to GP appointments at evenings and weekends through the GP Access Fund.