To ask the Minister of Health (i) to detail any actions being taken to address the rise in complaints from patients who are unable to access GP services; and (ii) whether he will provide a contact telephone number or email address for patients to be able to raise concerns about GP surgeries.

I recognise that being able to access GP practices when we need to do so is important for all of us.

As independent contractors and clinical professionals, GPs are responsible for making appropriate decisions about the treatment, care and management of individual patients. This also means that decisions about the day to day running of the surgery, including the use of technology, telephony and the appointment system, are determined locally by the GP practice within the constraints of their available workforce.

GP services have been experiencing sustained, high levels of demand since before the COVID-19 pandemic and in response Practices have continued to adapt how services are delivered. GPs are utilising a mixed consultation model with telephone consultations, video and face to face consultations as a means of managing the rising demand on services within the existing workforce while retaining responsiveness to those patients who need the most urgent attention and care.

Additional measures have been put in place to support primary care to adapt flexibly to increasing demand. These include focusing on increasing capacity to meet the demand from patients through, for example, reinforcing the GP workforce and increasing the range of healthcare professionals working in primary care, investment in general practice and the implementation of new and innovative ways of working, including making greater use of technology and telephony.

As part of supporting work in this area, my Department established a GP Access Working Group, which includes GP and service-user representation, to explore issues around accessing services and to oversee work to improve the experience for patients.

Should a patient or service user wish to raise a formal complaint about the service received from a GP, this should be raised with the GP practice itself in the first instance. All practices are required to have a complaints procedure to address any issues raised by patients.

Alternatively, the Complaints Team in the Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) of the Department of Health can act as an intermediary between a patient and the Practice, further information is available here: FPS Complaints - DOH/HSCNI Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG). The SPPG Complaints Team can be contacted for further advice and assistance by e-mail: complaints.sppg@hscni.net or by telephoning 028 9536 3893.

Independent advice and support on making a complaint about health and social care services is also available from the Patient and Client Council, who offer a free, confidential, patient advocacy service. Further information, including contact details, is available via the Patient and Client Council website: Contact Us - Patient and Client Council Northern Ireland (hscni.net) or by telephoning Freephone 0800 917 0222.

If, following a response to any complaint, a patient remains unhappy they can bring their complaint to the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO). Information on how to make a complaint to NIPSO is available via the NIPSO website: How do I make a complaint to NIPSO? • Office of the Northern Ireland Ombudsman or by telephoning Freephone 0800 343424.