Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve the medical skill mix in primary healthcare to help diagnose and treat (a) musculoskeletal and (b) rheumatic conditions.

General Practices (GPs) are self-employed contractors to the National Health Service and these employers to determine how best to staff their Primary Care Networks (PCNs) or GP practice to best meet the needs of their population. The demands each patient places on their GP practice are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics.

GPs are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge (including for MSK and rheumatic conditions) remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

We remain committed to growing and diversifying the GP workforce, through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme Primary Care Networks and practices have recruited over 34,000 additional staff including Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, and social prescribing link workers. First Contact Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists can help with assessing, diagnosing, treating and managing musculoskeletal, including rheumatic, conditions. As of September 2023, working in GP practices and PCNs, there were:

- 2,006 FTE First Contact Physiotherapists

- 28 FTE Occupational Therapists

- 24 FTE Advanced Occupational Therapist Practitioners

Individual employers are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained and competent to carry out their role, and for investing in the future of their staff through providing continuing professional development funding.