Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to GP practices on the application of NHS proxy access policies for children aged 11 to 16; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current arrangements in providing support for parents and carers of children with autism requiring assistance in accessing healthcare services and medical information; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure consistent interpretation and application of NHS proxy access guidance by GP practices for patients aged 11 to 16.

General practices (GPs) can provide proxy access to parents or carers of a child under the age of 16 years old. The GP surgery must get the child's consent before giving access to their online GP services, if the child is able to understand and make an informed decision. Children aged 11 years old and over are generally presumed to have capacity to consent to, or refuse, proxy access, unless, for example, a medical condition or learning disability affects their understanding.

More broadly, the Government is taking steps to improve access to services for patients who may need additional support, including children with autism and their carers. GPs are required to provide online consultation tools, which can support patients and carers to contact their practice remotely, including for appointments, repeat prescriptions, and registration.

In addition, NHS England is rolling out the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, which allows services to record where a disabled patient needs reasonable adjustments so that care can be provided more appropriately and consistently.