On 24 October, former Chancellor Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP was appointed Prime Minister. Steve Barclay MP was reappointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with Neil O’Brien MP becoming Minister for Primary Care.
The Prime Minister made his first public visit to Croydon University Hospital, where he stated that “one of the priorities for my Government is going to be tackling the Covid backlogs and supporting the NHS”. It was confirmed that the Prime Minister’s pledge to fine those who miss GP appointments had been dropped, having been made during his previous Conservative leadership campaign.
Oral questions
On 1 November, the Secretary of State for Health answered oral questions in the House of Commons. Click to read and watch in full. Topics covered included:
- Automatic access to patient records.
- The creation of an NHS backlog taskforce.
- Workforce, including training capacity and declining GP numbers.
- Promotion of prostate cancer checks.
- Increasing GP appointment provision and access to face-to-face appointments.
- Epsom and St Helier’s planning application.
- Capping the number of patients per GP and continuity of care.
Written questions
Wes Streeting MP, Ilford North (Lab) – Shadow Health Secretary
- Resources (12 October 2022) Has the department provided additional financial and other support to help tackle patient backlogs and increased workloads in GP surgeries in Ilford North constituency?
- Eating disorders/mental health (11 October 2022) What steps are the Department taking to help support young people with eating disorders and to improve access to mental health services in Ilford North constituency?
- Face to face GP appointments (12 October 2022) Will the department take steps to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Ilford North constituency?
Feryal Clark MP, Enfield North (Lab) – Shadow Minister for Primary Care
- ARRS (12 October 2022) Does the department plan to increase funding for Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to help primary care networks employ the 1,000 additional GP assistants set out in the Government’s Plan for Patients? Answer includes: “The national budget for ARRS is approximately £1 billion and is expected to rise to more than £1.4 billion in 2023/24. Intelligence gathered on planned recruitment by PCNs and the expenditure of allocations indicates there is sufficient resource to meet expected demand for GPAs.”
- ARRS (11 October 2022) How much of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Sum funding for Primary Care Networks in England went unspent for each of the years that the scheme has been operating? Answer includes: “£164 million underspend in the ARRS in 2020/2021. Information for subsequent years will be available in future publications of ‘Investment in General Practice’.”
Sarah Olney, Richmond Park (Lib Dem)
Workforce (10 October 2022) What is the number of NHS GPs in London in each of the past five years? Answer includes:
| June 2022 | 5,282 |
| June 2021 | 5,251 |
| June 2020 | 5,192 |
| June 2019 | 5,210 |
| June 2018 | 5,139 |
Workforce (10 October 2022) How many NHS GPs there were by clinical commissioning group and NHS Trust in London in each of the last five years? Answer includes: “This information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows the number of FTE fully qualified doctors in general practice in each London ICB:
| June 2018 | June 2019 | June 2020 | June 2021 | June 2022 | |
| South East London | 852 | 861 | 861 | 878 | 858 |
| North East London | 982 | 979 | 969 | 968 | 950 |
| North Central London | 746 | 758 | 756 | 765 | 740 |
| North West London | 1,119 | 1,127 | 1,096 | 1,133 | 1,088 |
| South West London | 828 | 834 | 822 | 816 | 812 |
Ruth Cadbury MP, Brentford and Isleworth (Lab)
Retention (17 October 2022) What steps are being taken to increase the retention of GPs in London?
Westminster hall debates
- On 2 November, Matt Warman MP led a debate in Westminster Hall on visas for international doctors. Click to read and watch in full.
- On 8 November, Jim Shannon MP lead a debate in Westminster Hall for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Click to read and watch in full.
- On 8 November, the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee held an oral evidence session on integrated care systems. The session can be watched back here.
- On 15 November, the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee held an oral evidence session on digital transformation in the NHS. The session can be watched back here.