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Written question asked by Christopher Chope (Conservative) on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 July 2026 (named day). It was answered by Stephen Kinnock (Labour) on Monday, 13 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Health Services: Patients

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Department of Health and Social Care or NHS England made or commissioned a clinical or patient safety impact assessment of the duty in paragraph 11C(2) of Schedule 3 to the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015, inserted by SI 2026/532, before that instrument was laid before Parliament.

Answer

The Department and NHS England considered the potential impacts of expanding Advice and Guidance (A&G) as part of the policy development process, including through clinical input, established governance arrangements, and equalities considerations. A&G is intended to support timely clinical decision‑making and ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate care. National guidance is in place to support its safe and consistent use, and the use of A&G does not change existing clinical accountability or patient safety arrangements.

The contract does not change the clinical threshold for referral to specialist care. General practitioner (GPs) should continue to make a clinical decision to refer for specialist care where that is in the patient’s best interests, and to request specialist advice where it is needed. GPs retain responsibility for referral decisions, and this model supports, and does not replace, clinical judgement.

The 2026/27 GP Contract embeds the previous A&G enhanced service funding into core practice funding. Following near universal uptake of the A&G Enhanced Service in 2025/26, the focus for 2026/27 is on stability and simplicity. Embedding the specialist advice model within the core contract recognises its role in routine clinical practice, removes annual signups, and provides more predictable funding while supporting consistent patient pathways.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
16363
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Health services NHS Patients Safety Impact assessments
Legislation
National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015
National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk