Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 10 of the 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, who will decide whether patients require same day GP appointments.

General practices operate as independent businesses with the autonomy to decide how they manage and triage patients. This enables them to adopt operational approaches that best meet the needs of their practice and patient population, as they are best placed to make those decisions. However, we are clear that we expect that decisions related to patient care are made using appropriate clinical processes and informed by medical professionals.

The Government is determined to work with the National Health Service to fix the front door of our health service and ensure that everyone can access general practice (GP) appointments and services when they most need it. Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a GP. The 8:00am scramble will end, we will train more doctors, and we will guarantee digital consultations within 24 hours.