AQW 21129/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 22/01/2025
Answered On Date: 06/02/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to provide a copy of the written process that GP practices must follow to ensure the local Health and Social Care Trust’s Carers Support is notified when a patient’s record is updated to include their role as a carer.

Answer:

There is no contractual requirement for GPs to record that a patient of the practice is a carer or to inform the local Health and Social Care Trust.

However, in the Northern Local Commissioning Group (LCG) area there is a Local Enhanced Service for Carers Health, where service providers are required to consider signposting carers to other organisations, including the local Carers’ Hub. Contracting to provide this service is discretionary - 93 per cent of the 67 GP practices within the LCG area are currently providing the service.