AQW 23606/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 28/02/2025
Answered On Date: 18/03/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health whether his Department holds a record of the number of practitioners that deliver both private and public healthcare.

Answer:

My Department does not hold information on the number of GP practitioners who deliver private primary medical services in addition to services under the General Medical Services (GMS) contract.

General Practitioners in Northern Ireland are independent contractors. Under the General Medical Services (GMS) Contracts Regulations 2004, there is no restriction preventing a GP contractor who holds a GMS contract from also providing private primary medical services to individuals who are not registered patients with the practice.

Where a practice adopts such a hybrid model, it is required to continue to provide GMS services to the practice’s registered patients and there should be no reduction in service provision for those patients.

Under the Northern Ireland Contract Assurance Framework, practices are required to provide assurance to the Department that funding provided by the Department is not used in the delivery of private services to non-registered patients.