Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the average time taken for care home residents to see a GP.
No specific estimate has been made as this information is not held centrally. However, the service specification for the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Directed Enhanced Service states that Primary Care Networks must establish and coordinate a multi-disciplinary team to deliver a weekly ‘home round’ of its care home patients, where patients identified as a clinical priority for assessment and care are reviewed. The checks should include appropriate and consistent medical oversight from a general practitioner and/or a geriatrician.