Oral Answers to Questions

Michael Fabricant Excerpts

Tuesday 1st November 2022 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

1. Whether he supports the continuity of care and long-term relationship between a GP and their patients.

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Steve Barclay)]

The recent Health and Social Care Committee report rightly highlights the importance of continuity of care, recognising that there is sometimes a trade-off between speed of access and continuity of care.

[Michael Fabricant]

I welcome my right hon. Friend back to the Front Bench in this position; it is great to see him there. Investigations in the United States and in Australia show that if there is a close relationship between a patient and one specific general practitioner, the outcomes are better in terms of both morbidity and visits to A&E. What can the Government do to encourage that practice, and what is the Government’s view of that practice?

[Steve Barclay]

My hon. Friend raises an important point. If one looks at the GP survey of patients, around two in five have a GP that they would like to have continuity of care with, and more than one third of those say that they see them a lot of the time or always. It is more pertinent with complex cases, where that continuity of care adds most value, as opposed to patients who want speed of access on an isolated incident.