To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) whether any assessment has been made of the impact of administrative and non-clinical duties on the time available for GPs to provide direct patient care; (ii) any steps his Department is taking to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on GP practices; and (iii) whether his Department maintains guidance for Health and Social Care Trusts on the appropriate division of responsibilities between secondary care services and GP practices.

Whilst administrative and non-clinical responsibilities form an important part of General Practice, it is recognised that they can have an impact on the time available for direct patient care.

The ‘Making all Contacts Count’ best practice guidance issued to GP practices recognises that administrative requirements can detract from time spent on direct patient care and highlights the importance of effective workload management. The guidance supports good practice in demand management and provides a practical framework for identifying and implementing improvements within practice settings.

My Department has also engaged with relevant Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments and public bodies to explore ways to reduce the administrative burden on GP practices of completing non-statutory administrative tasks and the unnecessary directing of patients to GPs on the part of other Government Departments and public bodies. This work, which was informed by GP representatives, resulted in the review of a number of such tasks and processes to help reduce the impact of these on General Practice.

To help improve communication and collaborative working across the primary and secondary care interface, my Department engaged with primary and secondary care providers to develop ‘Working Better Together: Consensus & Guidance on the Primary and Secondary Care Interface in Northern Ireland’. The guidance sets out principles to support effective communication and collaboration between primary and secondary care services and the appropriate allocation of responsibilities across the interface, with the aim of reducing inappropriate transfer of workload between sectors.

My Department continues to work with Health and Social Care Trusts, General Practice representatives and other stakeholders to support implementation of the principles contained within the guidance and to ensure patients receive care in the most appropriate clinical setting.