Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure GP surgeries in Southampton are not understaffed.

Southampton City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) advises it is supporting a multi-agency approach to workforce planning, recruitment and retention. The local general practitioner (GP) federation continue to work collaboratively with Southampton City CCG on workforce planning for primary care in the area. Four practices have signed up to be part of NHS England’s international GP recruitment programme. The CCG is supporting primary care networks with the recruitment and deployment of additional roles, such as pharmacists and social prescribers. All GP practices in Southampton are rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission.

The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, made a clear commitment to the future of general practice, with primary and community care set to receive at least £4.5 billion more a year by 2023/24, in real terms. This was followed by the five-year GP contract framework, which will provide greater financial security and certainty for practices to plan ahead. This will see billions of extra pounds of investment for improved access, expanded services at local practices, the development of PCNs and longer appointments for patients who need them.

NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) are working together with the profession to increase the GP workforce in England. The forthcoming People Plan will set out a broader strategy for a sustainable general practice workforce. Alongside our commitment to grow the GP workforce, the GP contract will see funding towards up to 20,000 extra non-GP staff working in PCNs by 2023/24.