Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department has taken to ensure adequate access to GP surgeries in areas with new housing developments.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, including planning, securing, and monitoring, services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practice, in each local area. ICBs should evaluate the needs of the populations for which they are responsible and plan service provision as required.

The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to determine how the developer contributions system can be strengthened and improved to support the planning and delivery of the required social infrastructure in areas of population growth.