Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of additional barriers for elderly patients in accessing health services arising from the use of AI services by general practitioners.

The GP Contract is clear that patients must be able to contact their practice by telephone or by visiting in person, and that online tools must be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, those routes. Those requirements are also reflected in the guidance issued to primary care networks in July 2023 on the need to reduce digital exclusion.