Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who is responsible for monitoring the levels of demand placed on general practitioners and their teams; and what checks are in place to help ensure that extra-contractual reporting and other activities do not compromise the provision of safe patient care.

Local systems and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for monitoring and responding to demands placed on general practitioners and their teams. The GP Contract states that each practice is required to provide primary medical services to meet the reasonable needs of their registered patients. General practices are independent businesses whose services are contracted by National Health Service commissioners. A practice may choose to provide extra-contractual services which are permitted under the terms of their contract.