Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the progress of face-to-face appointment availability in GP practices.

The Department regularly engages with NHS England and NHS Improvement to monitor the levels of face to face appointments in general practice. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s guidance states that patients’ input into choices about appointment mode should be sought. Practices should respect preferences for face-to-face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary. Online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing general practice.