Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to access the potential merit of using deprivation factors in the formula for funding GP surgeries.
The Department recognises the importance of deprivation factors. NHS England is working with the British Medical Association to review the Carr-Hill funding formula and ensure that distribution of funding takes into account, as far as possible, key factors that increase demand for primary medical care services.
Evidence shows that people in deprived communities are likely to have an increased need for primary medical care and this is reflected in the existing formula. This important consideration will continue to be a key factor in any future changes.