Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that GPs offer patients face-to-face appointments.

General practice is open and has been throughout the pandemic. Practices must ensure they offer face to face appointments and respect patient preferences for face to face care where clinically appropriate in line with the NHS England and NHS Improvement’s letter to general practice on 13 May 2021. The letter set out planned updates to the Standard Operating Procedure to support the restoration of services ahead of Government rules on social distancing changing on 17 May. NHS England and NHS Improvement also advised practices to ensure that their receptions are clearly open to the public and that they review communications so that patients understand how to access general practitioner services.