Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of recent trends in levels of sustainability of GP practices in rural areas.

We recognize that patients are struggling to access general practice (GP), and more must be done to improve the sustainability of the National Health Service both nationally and in rural areas. The Government is committed to fixing the front door to the NHS, which is crucial for its long-term sustainability.

We acknowledge the urgent challenge of ensuring rural areas have the resources to continue serving their patients. To address this, we will increase funding for GPs and primary care, and shift the focus of the NHS from hospitals to community-based care. We will also ensure rural areas have the necessary workforce to provide integrated, patient-centered services.

We are committed to training thousands more GPs across the country, including in rural areas, starting with the training places outlined in the NHS’s Long-Term Workforce Plan. This will increase capacity, secure the future pipeline of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system.

We are pleased to announce that newly qualified GPs will be included in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment, with additional funding over 2024/25. This is a step in the journey while the Government works with GPs to identify longer term solutions to GP unemployment and sustainability.

Additionally, we have accepted the DDRB recommendations in full and, subject to consultation with the BMA, we will uplift the pay element of the GP contract by 6% on a consolidated basis (an increase of 4% on top of the 2% interim uplift in April); to provide practices with funding to uplift GP partner, salaried GP and other salaried staff pay by 6%.