Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board on the proposed Wixams GP surgery.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, general practice (GP) services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB has advised that they updated the Central Bedfordshire Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee about the ICB’s intention to deliver a permanent healthcare facility in Wixams, with a further update to follow in the spring. The ICB has committed to undertaking further analysis with the new developers of Wixams town centre, to understand the dependencies, such as roads and power connections, and to assess the facility's delivery timeline against the likely costs and affordability. Further information about the Central Bedfordshire Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee is available at the following link:

https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/31/meetings/231/social_care_health_and_housing_overview_and_scrutiny_committee_-_meetings_and_agendas

We know that there is pressure on primary care estates and service provision in areas of high population growth. At a national level, we continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that all new and existing developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure for the community.