Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a fund to support GP services in (a) rural and (b) other remote areas.

General practitioners receive global sum funding for providing core services, comprising approximately 50 to 60% of practice income. The global sum is a capitated payment, calculated based on the size of a practice’s registered list of patients, and weighted using the Carr-Hill formula. Through the Carr-Hill formula, payments to practices are adjusted in consideration of several factors, including the geographical location of a practice. This includes accounting for the additional costs of delivering services in rural areas, and in areas where staff costs are higher.