Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reduced access to GP services on waiting times in Accident and Emergency departments.

The Department recognises that where the capacity of general practice (GP) services is not meeting patient demand, this can lead to some patients seeking advice and care in alternative settings, such as accident and emergency. We have already committed to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs from this October through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, increasing capacity in GPs. The latest information on accident and emergency waiting times is published monthly by NHS England, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2024-25/