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 with Dorset Integrated Care Board to recruit more GPs in West Dorset constituency.

Last year, the Department added general practitioners (GPs) to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), and provided an extra £82 million in funding, meaning that GPs could be recruited more quickly by primary care networks (PCNs).

Between 1 October 2024 and 28 February 2025, 1,503 fully qualified GPs have been recruited through the ARRS, including in West Dorset.

The Government has committed to training thousands more GPs. NHS Dorset has established a joint task force with the Dorset GP Education Centre to increase the number of training placements for GP’s training in Dorset, with West Dorset identified as an opportunity for growth.