DDA advisor Baroness McIntosh of Pickering has again spoken in the Lords, this time to raise the issue of rural inequalities in primary care.

In a Lords debate on primary care inequality she pointed out that among the difficulties of rolling out primary care in sparsely populated, deeply rural areas is that community health workers and care workers spend a lot of time on the road and have less time to spend with patients.

The debate centred on the community health worker model pilot that is said to have increased screening and health checks by 82 per cent.

Government whip Lord Evans of Rainow responded: “Our Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care… is committed to improving access experience and outcomes for all patients, including those in diverse groups and rural areas.”