Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 9
Fourth Report - The future of general practice
Published 20 Oct 2022
Paragraph 48
Addressed to Department of Health and Social Care
Health and Social Care Committee The future of General Practice All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Receptionists play an incredibly important role in primary care that often goes unrecognised. Given they are often the first point of contact with primary care for most patients, NHS England should review and consider providing standardised national training to drive up standards and equip receptionists with the skills required to navigate and signpost in a 21st century NHS.
From: Health and Social Care Committee, Fourth Report - The future of general practice (HC 113), paragraph 48, 20 October 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 24 July 2023 (deadline 20 December 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the Committee's report and responds to each recommendation, accepting some, partially accepting most and not accepting others.
- It accepts recommendations on distributing GP trainees more equitably, receptionist training and simplifying the patient interface across Integrated Care Systems; it also accepts the call for more back-office organisational support for GPs.
- It "partially accepts" the call for 1,000 more GP training places a year and a four-year scheme: the Long Term Workforce Plan sets an "ambition" to rise from 4,000 to 6,000 places by 2031/32, and there is "no plan to extend GP training beyond three years".
- It does not accept the recommendations to return to personal lists, to cap list sizes, or to fund PCN continuity leads, saying PCNs and practices are best placed to decide their own workforce and approach.
- On a national continuity measure it will "consider how best to measure continuity of care" but says it "would not therefore be appropriate to commit to introducing a measure by 2024".