To ask the Minister of Health when his Department will make public the broad findings about ongoing service and accessibility issues with regard to General Practice in Northern Ireland.

Primary Care services have been under sustained pressure for a number of years prior to the pandemic. GP-led services cannot continue to meet the rising demand and expectations without urgent action to address the pressures facing the service.

I am aware that some patients are experiencing difficulties in relation to access to GP services. My Department has established a Working Group to explore issues around access to GP services, including demand for services, limitations of infrastructure, and staffing and resourcing issues. The Working Group will also consider how technology can be better used to provide improved access in a standardised way across Northern Ireland.

Coming out of this, the Working Group will propose actions to be taken in the short, medium and long term to improve access for patients.

The Group includes representatives from General Practice, service users and officials from my Departmental among its membership.

The Working Group met for the first time on 1 June and there is no timescale as yet for when it shall report. When it does so, my Department will consider the findings and recommendations of the Working Group and respond as appropriate.