Asked by: Lord Whitty (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what terms of reference apply to the activities of practitioner-patient consultative groups; and what guidance they give to such groups.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practice (GP) Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) are a requirement in the GP Contract, as specified in The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations. Providers must establish and maintain a group to obtain feedback from patients on the services they deliver.
The form a PPG takes is not specified. This provides flexibility for practices to work in partnership with people and communities in the ways that best support the local population. The contractor is expected to engage with the group at frequent intervals throughout the financial year, as agreed with the group, with the view to obtain, review, and implement patient feedback. As such, PPGs are financed under the Global Sum Payments, which covers all services included in these regulations.
Asked by: Lord Whitty (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for future relationships post-Brexit between (1) UK public agencies, and (2) UK industry, and the European Food Safety Agency.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The future of the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will be shaped by forthcoming UK-European Union negotiations.
UK Government Departments are currently working together to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on the UK’s relationship with the EFSA. Government departments are considering a range of options for the future of scientific advice and risk assessment.
The Department of Health, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Food Standard Agency's priority is to maintain the UK’s high standards of food and feed safety, and to ensure we take a risk-based, proportionate approach that prioritises the interests and protection of consumers.