§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets he has set for general practitioners to achieve(a) now and (b) by 2004. [36894]
§ Mr. HuttonI apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002,Official Report, column 192W.
The general practitioner (GP) pay system includes incentives for GPs to deliver targets on childhood immunisation and cervical cytology. These have been a feature of the pay system since 1990. The NHS plan sets targets for modernising primary care services where GPs are expected to contribute to their achievement, including in particular, the access target that by 2004 patients should be able to see a GP within 48 hours or another health professional within 24 hours. None of these targets are, however, for GPs to achieve on their own. It is for primary care trusts locally to lead, organise, support and resource delivery of the NHS plan targets for primary care.