Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how patients can raise concerns about GP practices not providing appropriate access to telephone appointments for a) elderly and b) vulnerable patients.

The GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a general practice.

If a patient believes their practice is not meeting this requirement, patients can write to the practice manager. If they are not comfortable raising a complaint directly, they can instead raise their concerns with the local National Health Service integrated care board (ICB), with NHS England, or with his/her local Healthwatch, the independent consumer champion for health and social care.

As commissioners of primary care services, ICBs can investigate the situation further and take appropriate actions. Their contract details can be found on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/find-your-local-integrated-care-board/

Further information about the NHS complaints procedure and Healthwatch can be found, respectively, at the following two links:

www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/how-to-complain-to-the-nhs

www.healthwatch.co.uk