Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with health officials on GPs returning to face-to-face appointments.

The Department has regular discussions on the provision of primary care services. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance states that general practitioner (GP) practices must provide face to face appointments, alongside remote consultations. Patients’ preferences for face-to-face care should be respected unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary. In March 2022, 62% of appointments, excluding COVID-19 vaccinations, were conducted face-to-face.