Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 23 November (HL9107), who is responsible for the provision of face to face appointments in each of the seven NHS regions.

General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors who are contracted by NHS England and NHS Improvement and/or clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to provide primary medical services. In designing services contractors are required to take into account the reasonable needs of their local population, including the types of appointments that are offered. NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for the provision of primary medical services in England. As such, it is for NHS England and NHS Improvement to ensure that patients in all areas have access to GP services.

On 14 September, NHS England and NHS Improvement wrote to GPs and their commissioners reiterating the importance of providing face to face appointments for those who need them and shared a communications toolkit designed to support clear communication with patients about how they can access the right type of appointment.

Local commissioners, NHS England and NHS Improvement regional teams or CCGs with delegated responsibility, are responsible for ensuring general practice providers meet their responsibilities under their contracts.