Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the proposals in the NHS Long Term Plan for online GP appointments, what steps his Department is taking to ensure health services remain accessible to people without internet access.

Online appointments are being developed to enhance and support existing general practice services and will give patients more choice on how they access services. This approach is in addition to not a substitute for more traditional ways of seeing a general practitioner or nurse at a patient’s own registered practice. Patients who do not wish to use this way of accessing services are still able to get a face to face or telephone appointments.

Everyone across the country can now also access general practice appointments in the evenings and weekends, which will provide an estimated nine million additional appointments per year. This means that patients can see a doctor, nurse or other member of the practice team at a time that is convenient to them, 365 days per years including on bank holidays.