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 support GPs in Essex to invest in (a) clinical equipment, (b) staff training and (c) uniforms, in the context of rises in operating costs.

We are investing an additional £889 million in the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing the total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.

The Department’s MedTech Strategy, published in February 2023, and the subsequent One Year On Report in April 2024, outline our priorities for improving the adoption and spread of safe, effective, and innovative medical technologies across the NHS.

General practices and primary care networks have access to a regional Primary Care Training Hub, which brings together education and training resources from NHS organisations, community providers, and local authorities. Training hubs are usually run by a clinical leader and a manager supported by a network of primary care staff, with education and training professionals based in the community. They work closely with primary care networks and integrated care systems to support workforce priorities and tackle health inequalities to help meet patient and population demand.

Employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients. NHS England has set out expectations regarding dress code for health care providers. It is for individual practices to implement and ensure staff are dressed appropriately.