Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS England Medium Term Planning Framework – delivering change together 2026/27 to 2028/29, published on 24 October 2025, what plans he has to consult the Royal College of General Practitioners on the same day appointments for all clinically urgent patients (face to face, phone or online) success measure.

As part of our recently published Medium-Term Planning Framework, we have introduced a new and ambitious target to ensure all urgent appointments are provided on the same day, so that patients requiring urgent care are prioritised, irrespective of how they are delivered, whether it be face-to-face, via telephone, or online. At present, 44.4% of appointments are already delivered on the same day they are booked

We have always valued input from a range of stakeholders on the future of general practice and continue to engage with general practitioners broadly to ensure the targets are achievable, reflect the needs of the populations they serve, and to understand any barriers to delivery.