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Written Question
General Practitioners
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Liam Fox (Conservative - North Somerset)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the workload of GPs.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom

The Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published by NHS England in May 2023, set out actions on how bureaucracy and workload can be cut by improving the interface between primary and secondary care, cutting unnecessary burdens on general practitioners (GPs) through the Bureaucracy Busting Concordat, published in August 2022, and streamlining the Investment and Impact Fund from 36 to five indicators from 2023/24.

In response to feedback from the profession to make incentive schemes more streamlined and focused, the Department has launched a public consultation on incentive schemes in general practice.

The expanded primary care teams funded through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme add extra clinical capacity, helping to reduce the burden on GPs.


Non-Departmental Publication (Statistics)
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

Aug. 01 2024

Source Page: General Dental Services Statistics for NI, Quarter 1 2024/25
Document: General Dental Services Statistics for NI, Quarter 1 2024/25 (webpage)

Found: General Dental Services Statistics for NI, Quarter 1 2024/25


Written Question
Brain: Injuries
Wednesday 11th September 2024

Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)

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 help (a) raise awareness of the symptoms of brain aneurysms and (b) improve training for GPs to recognise those symptoms.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Through neurosurgery networks, NHS England will engage with referring clinicians to ensure that patients receive appropriate assessments, diagnostics, and referral pathways to a neuroscience centre when required.

Moreover, the standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent statutory body. The GMC has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for professional practice.

The training curricula for speciality trainees is set by the relevant Royal College, and has to meet the standards set by the GMC and be formally approved by them. The training curriculum for general practitioner specialty training is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.


Deposited Papers

Mar. 07 2012

Source Page: Statutory duties of the Prudential Regulation Authority. 4 p.
Document: DEP2012-0440.pdf (PDF)

Found: In particular, it will look to expert practitioners to offer technical and detailed feedback on the different


Non-Departmental Publication (Statistics)
HSC Business Services Organisation (Northern Ireland)

Jun. 20 2024

Source Page: Family Practitioner Services Dental Statistics for NI 2023/24
Document: Family Practitioner Services Dental Statistics for NI 2023/24 (webpage)

Found: Practitioner Services Dental Statistics for NI 2023/24 Activity and payment statistics relating to General


Non-Departmental Publication (Statistics)
HSC Business Services Organisation (Northern Ireland)

Jun. 20 2024

Source Page: General Dental Services Statistics for NI, Quarter 4 2023/24
Document: General Dental Services Statistics for NI, Quarter 4 2023/24 (webpage)

Found: General Dental Services Statistics for NI, Quarter 4 2023/24


Written Question
Migraines: Health Education
Monday 14th October 2024

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to raise awareness of the symptoms of migraines.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, updated in December 2021, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraines. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraines.

NHS RightCare has also produced a Headache and Migraine Toolkit. The toolkit sets out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraines, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders. Additionally, Getting It Right First Time for Neurology published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving recognition and diagnosis of migraines by general practitioners.

The Royal College of General Practitioners has developed two e-learning modules about migraine and cluster headaches, which aim to raise awareness amongst primary care clinicians about the different types of migraine and their associated symptoms, and how to differentiate between them.


Written Question
Patient Choice Schemes
Monday 14th October 2024

Asked by: Jodie Gosling (Labour - Nuneaton)

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 ensure that General Practitioners are (a) aware of and (b) able to communicate effectively the right for patients to choose medical care.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to putting patients back at the heart of care. This includes supporting a patient’s right to choose, if they wish, where they go for their first appointment when referred to consultant-led care as an outpatient. Further details for patients are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework/the-nhs-choice-framework-what-choices-are-available-to-me-in-the-nhs

The Department is working closely with NHS England on plans for targeted support starting in the most disadvantaged areas. General practitioners (GPs) can see waiting time information for different providers displayed as part of the e-Referral Service. GPs and patients can also use the Manage Your Referral service, allowing patients to make an informed choice of provider online or through the NHS App following their appointment.


Written Question
Gambling: Mental Health Services
Wednesday 16th October 2024

Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the processes for supporting patients presenting to General Practitioners with mental health disorders attributable to gambling.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are committed to supporting improvements to the existing treatment system, ensuring people experiencing gambling-related harm are able to access the right care at the right time.

NHS England now operates 15 specialist gambling treatment clinics, up from two in 2019, with representation across every region in England. Through these clinics, the National Health Service has capacity to treat up to 3,000 people experiencing gambling-related harms each year.

General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

The NICE is currently developing a gambling-related harms guideline, focused on identification, assessment, and management of people who may be harmed by gambling. Publication is expected later this year.


Written Question
General Practitioners: Unemployment
Wednesday 10th January 2024

Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number of registered general practitioners that are unemployed.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom

The data requested is not held centrally.

As of September 2023, there were 2,690 more full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in general practice compared to September 2019.

The latest available data (November 2023) shows that there were 37,308 FTE (46,879 headcount) doctors in general practice in England.