Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will introduce a rota of general practitioners into all accident and emergency departments; [156632]

(2) if he will require general practitioners to provide a 24 hour a day service seven days a week. [156633]

Anna Soubry, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health: NHS England is responsible for the oversight of commissioning of urgent care services in England. This includes the development of new models of care to best meet patients' needs, including how health professionals, such as general practitioners (GPs), can best deliver urgent care in a range of settings.

As part of this, NHS England has established the Seven Day Service Forum, led by Sir Bruce Keogh, to identify ways to improve access to routine services around the country, seven days a week. The forum will consider the role of non-hospital services such as primary and community health care, and social services, in providing urgent care services. The use of GPs delivering care in different settings, for example the use of a rota in accident and emergency departments amongst other options, will be considered within this context.

The forum will report in the autumn.

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