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 30 March 2021 to Question 173161 on General Practitioners: Centene, if he will reconsider his Department’s decision to allow Operose Health Ltd to hold contracts to run GP surgeries (a) in general and (b) in north central London; and what assessment he made of the effect of the holding of those contracts by Operose Health Ltd on the pay and conditions of people who work in GP surgeries and in the NHS.

It is for local commissioners to arrange the provision of appropriate services, by contracting with providers, in order to best serve the needs of their patient population.

No assessment has been made on the effect of Operose holding general practitioner practice contacts. As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service to provide primary medical services, it is for general practices to determine how to distribute pay and benefits to their staff.

Regardless of whether the contract holder is an individual, a partnership, or an organisation, all contract holders and providers of NHS core primary medical services are subject to the same requirements, regulation, and standards.