Oral Answers to Questions — Health – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 4 July 2017.
Chi Onwurah
Shadow Minister (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) (Industrial Strategy)
12:00,
4 July 2017
What assessment he has made of the consistency and quality of GP services in (a) Newcastle and (b) England.
Steve Brine
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health
In 2016, 85% of patients surveyed across England reported a good overall experience of their GP surgery. In the Newcastle Gateshead CCG, patient satisfaction is even higher than the national average at 88%.
Chi Onwurah
Shadow Minister (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) (Industrial Strategy)
Newcastle has fantastic GPs, but many of my poorest and most vulnerable constituents suffer from GP unavailability and a constant change of providers due to the requirement to re-tender every couple of years to a market that, quite frankly, does not want them because they are too poor or too marginalised to make money from. Will the Minister meet me and my local CCG to find out how we can ensure that those people get the quality and consistency of GP services that they deserve?
Steve Brine
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health
I am very happy to do that.
Mark Pawsey
Conservative, Rugby
Following the closure of their GP surgery, my constituents in Brownsover have had to make do without one over the past few years. Approvals are in place for a new surgery and it is due to open next summer. Will the Minister confirm that the timeline set out by NHS England will be met?
Steve Brine
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health
I will ask NHS England, but if that is what it has told my hon. Friend, that is what will happen.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
