To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps his Department is taking to support GP practices to adopt technology that improves appointment management and patient access, including telephone triage and online booking systems.

As independent contractors and clinical professionals, GPs are responsible for making appropriate decisions about the treatment, care and management of individual patients. Decisions about the day to day running of the surgery, including the use of technology and the appointment system, are determined locally by the GP practice within the constraints of their available workforce. At this point in time it is not mandatory for GP practices to make online appointments available to their patients. While all practices have the technology available to enable this, it remains their choice in how they manage and deliver their services within their individual practice.

To support GPs in improving service delivery, my Department has issued a best practice guide, ‘Making All Contacts Count’, which includes recommendations on how practices could maximise their telephony and technology to help meet patient demand.

I have been clear that improving access to GP services for patients is a key priority for me. My Department has made available significant funding to help General Practice meet the growing demands for primary care services and enable practices to improve their telephony systems, improve accessibility and increase staffing levels to ensure telephony demand is managed effectively. In addition, my Department has announced investment of £61m over the next 4 years to support the wider rollout of the Primary Care MDT model which will provide access to a wider range of services in Primary Care and will help stabilise GP services.

My Department has commenced negotiations with the NIGPC on the GMS contract for 2026/27. Developing robust measures to improve access to GP services for implementation in 2026/27 will be a core requirement in seeking agreement on the Contract.