Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department issues guidance to GPs on alternatives to phone-based booking systems for access to appointments for deaf and hearing-impaired people.

Ensuring that general practice appointments are accessible to everyone, including those who are deaf or hearing-impaired, is a top priority for the Government. Our Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, published in May 2023, outlines the implementation of a new Modern General Practice Access model, which offers an alternative option to the traditional telephone-based booking system. This is underpinned by £240 million of retargeted funding to improve digital access routes, and support practices to implement new technology. Digital systems will give patients, including the hearing-impaired, the choice to use an online form on the practice’s website to seek help, instead of having to phone for an appointment, or visit in person. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not recently met with the Royal Association for Deaf People.