Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to enable working parents to access healthcare without adversely impacting (a) work and (b) childcare commitments.

Core opening hours for general practices (GPs) run from 8:00am to 6:30pm on weekdays, beyond typical school or nursery hours. In addition, primary care networks provide extended access to GP appointments on evenings and Saturdays.

As of 1 October, patients are now able to get in touch with their GP via an online form at any time during core hours to request an appointment or to raise a query, as well as calling or visiting in person. This means working parents can easily schedule convenient appointments without waiting on the phone.