Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2021 to Question 147020, what discussions he has had with (a) medical defence organisations and (b) other professional bodies to make an assessment of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on GPs’ mental health as a result of increased workload; and what steps he plans to take to improve GP retention rates after the covid-19 outbreak.

The Department regularly meets with stakeholders to discuss issues relating to the general practice workforce. To support wellbeing during the pandemic, NHS England and NHS Improvement, in collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners, has launched the Looking After You Too and Looking After Your Team coaching support services. These services provide access to mental health services to all National Health Service primary care workers and aim to encourage psychological wellbeing and resilience in teams.

In addition, the NHS Practitioner Health service is available for doctors and dentists across England who have mental health concerns, in particular where these might affect their work. In early March 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement held a listening and collaboration event on Supporting Staff Wellbeing in Primary Care with staff from a wide range of roles across primary care, representatives of Local Medical Committees and the National Association of Primary Care.