Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has taken steps to prevent private patient consultations leading to a potential (a) reduction in service or (b) increase in waiting times for NHS patients where a GP practice runs a private practice at the same facility as its NHS practice; and if he will make a statement.

General practitioners (GPs) provide a comprehensive primary care service to patients through contractual arrangements with NHS England. Strict safeguards exist within these contractual arrangements which prevent GPs making charges to patients for National Health Service care, or of using NHS resources to subsidise any other non NHS services they are involved with. All patients have a right to high quality NHS primary care services, which are free at the point of delivery.