AQW 1488/22-27

Mr Andrew Muir
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 14/06/2022
Answered On Date: 27/06/2022
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, pursuant to AQW 320/22-27, to outline the timescales for resolving issues uncovered by GP practice visits.

Answer:

The Directorate of Integrated Care, SPPG, is undertaking a schedule of practice visits incorporating assessment, support and development to all General Medical Practices. The Practice Visit covers key contractual areas and also addresses Practice specific queries, concerns and issues.

As part of the visit process, if issues are identified, an action plan is agreed that details the issues discussed, actions agreed to address, and timelines for completion. The action plan is added to a GMS visit report and shared with the Practice but the contents of the report are confidential between SPPG and the GP Practice and therefore, the information is not published.

There is often a range of different issues identified through the GMS visit process with different timelines agreed to resolve, depending on the nature of the issue. It is therefore not possible to accurately outline the timescale for resolving issues uncovered at GMS Practice visits.

If issues are identified through the GMS visits process, SPPG colleagues work with GP practices to ensure that they are resolved in a timely manner, according to agreed timescales appropriate to the issue at hand.