Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 33
Fourth Report - The future of general practice
Published 20 Oct 2022
Paragraph 116
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)
Accountability and quality improvement are both extremely important in the NHS but it is clear that the current system of targets and incentives in general practice is overly bureaucratic, is not having the desired effect on outcomes, and will not enable GPs to change the way care is delivered. In particular, the current system of incentives does not encourage GPs to deliver high levels of continuity and also does not fund GPs for the additional work that will be required to manage more care in the community and reduce hospital admissions. Moreover, the Government’s decision to introduce an additional two-week wait target for GP appointments, while well-intentioned, does not address the fundamental capacity problem causing poor GP access. The Government and NHS England need to be bolder and empower GPs to exercise their professional judgement in the best interests of their patients.
From: Health and Social Care Committee, Fourth Report - The future of general practice (HC 113), paragraph 116, 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".