Primary Care Staff Numbers 2023-03-07
2023-03-07
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The question follows a general query about progress made by the Department in increasing primary care staff numbers.
What progress has the Department made on increasing the number of primary care staff?
Since March 2019, GPs have recruited over 25,000 staff such as pharmacists, physiotherapists and mental health practitioners, and we are on track to hit our 26,000 additional staff commitment.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The question stems from a supplementary query about the confidence of patients in using the wider healthcare team available in primary care, specifically regarding the effectiveness of the NHS's 111 service.
Can we ensure that 111 is set up to direct people to different professionals and promote and educate the public on how fantastic that wider healthcare team is in primary care?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right, which is why I commissioned through NHS England a review of 111. It was initially designed for a different purpose. That allows the GP service to be the front door it has become in the NHS. Through the chief executive of Milton Keynes University Hospital, we have done significant work on the NHS app, so it can better enable patients to get to the right place for the care they need.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific ask about promoting and educating the public was not addressed directly; only mentions review of 111 and NHS app work.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The question is raised regarding the recruitment challenges faced by GP practices in Oxfordshire, where over 45,000 people waited more than two weeks to see their GP and 12,000 waited over a month.
Will the Secretary of State consider introducing a weighting for GPs in areas of high cost of living outside London? Will he meet me to discuss the specific issues in Oxfordshire?
The hon. Member is right to highlight the pressure on primary care, which is why, in the answer I gave a moment ago, I said it is also about looking at the wider skills mix within primary care. She mentions doctors specifically. We have 2,200 more doctors in general practice than before the pandemic. It is about having the right skills mix alongside the doctors to meet the significant increased demand since the pandemic.
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Assessment & feedback
No commitment given on introducing weighting for GPs or meeting with MP to discuss Oxfordshire issues.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
The question addresses the demand for GP appointments in Oxfordshire, suggesting a need to shift focus from treating acute symptoms to managing long-term conditions at an earlier stage.
Will my right hon. Friend consider what can be done to rebalance the system so that more is done to ensure people are treated at the primary and community level?
My hon. Friend highlights an absolutely brilliant point, one I am extremely seized of, which is: how do we get detection much sooner, looking at genomics, screening and identifying issues before the patient is even necessarily aware that they have a condition. Early care delivers far better patient outcomes but it is also far cheaper to deliver. That prevention, as he highlights, is extremely important.
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Assessment & feedback
No specific plans or timelines mentioned; response focuses on importance of early detection and prevention.
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
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Context
The question revolves around a cross-party solution to build a new super health hub, the Cavell centre, which was initially proposed with £41 million funding by the government but later withdrawn.
Will the Secretary of State look at Devon's ICB and whether he could put pressure on that ICB to fund the pioneering project to improve healthcare in Plymouth?
The hon. Gentleman reasonably highlights that the commissioning is a decision for the ICB, but also rightly draws attention to the opportunity to look at different models, for example, how we look across communities at economies of scale, and how we combine that with modern methods of construction to deliver projects far more quickly. I am happy to look, with Devon ICB, at the issue he raises.
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Assessment & feedback
No direct commitment on putting pressure on ICB for funding; rather suggests looking at different models and opportunities.
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
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Context
The question is about the tax implications for GPs, specifically regarding early retirement due to pension taxation issues.
Can I appeal to the Secretary of State to fix the problem with the taxation of GPs' pensions, which is forcing many into early retirement just when we need their services the most?
My right hon. Friend is a very experienced parliamentarian and will know that issues of tax are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor, but I draw her attention to “Our plan for patients”, which sets out a package of NHS pension scheme measures.
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Assessment & feedback
Redirects responsibility for taxation issues to the Chancellor without addressing GPs' pensions directly.
Response accuracy
Q7
Partial Answer
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Context
The question addresses the absence of NHS dentists, creating a desert where constituents cannot receive necessary dental care.
What is the Secretary of State going to do for my constituents so that their oral health needs are addressed?
We will set out to the House in due course a recovery plan to deal in particular with primary care but also dentistry. We recognise that, notwithstanding the fiscal support that was offered to protect dentistry through the pandemic, it is an area of acute interest across the House. The Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Neil O'Brien), will be saying more on that very shortly.
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Assessment & feedback
No specific action plan or timeline given; defers to a recovery plan set out in future communications.
Response accuracy