Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of mandating Advice and Guidance requests on the legal and accountability frameworks for clinicians.

Changes introduced as part of the 2025/26 GP Contract consultation included the introduction of the Enhanced Service for Advice and Guidance (A&G). This built upon existing use of A&G pathways by general practice over previous years, which helped to ensure patients received care at the right place and the right time. The Department and NHS England are embedding A&G into the core GP Contract for 2026/27. This removes the need for annual sign‑up and treats A&G as routine clinical practice with predictable, recurrent funding.

The use of A&G does not alter existing legal or professional accountability frameworks, and supportive guidance is available to help signpost these responsibilities. Clinical decisions remain with appropriately qualified professionals under established regulatory and local governance arrangements, and NHS England continues to ensure these frameworks remain clear and robust as the use of A&G expands, including through job planning guidance that supports clinicians to manage this activity safely and appropriately.