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 care home residents have adequate access GP services.

On 1 May clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were asked to take immediate steps to implement the delivery of consistent weekly care home ‘check ins’, carried out remotely wherever appropriate, in order to review patients identified as a clinical priority for assessment and care, drawing on general practice and community services staff. These check ins should include appropriate and consistent medical oversight and input from a general practitioner and/or geriatrician.

On 14 May we published the care home support package which focuses on how to prevent and control COVID-19 in all registered care homes. To support this, on 13 May we announced an additional £600 million to support providers through a new Adult Social Care Infection Control Fund.