Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he his taking to ensure the adequacy of primary care provision for pensioners in (a) City of Durham constituency and (b) County Durham in winter 2024-25.

The Government cares about pensioners and access to primary care services. We know that patients nationally and in Durham are struggling to access their general practitioner (GP), and that this can be worsened throughout the winter period when demand is higher. We have committed to restoring the front door of the National Health Service by shifting the focus of the NHS out of hospitals and into the community. We know when patients aren’t able to get a GP appointment, they end up in accident and emergency, which is worse for the patient, more expensive for the taxpayer, and creates additional winter pressures.

Durham sits within the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), where the percentage of appointments delivered within two weeks of booking is 1.7% lower than the national average. To address this, we will increase the proportion of funding for primary care, starting with a commitment to recruit over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. This will increase the number of appointments delivered in GPs, secure the future pipeline of GPs, and take pressure off those currently working in the system.

The Government will trial new neighbourhood health centres to bring community health services together under one roof. We will also bring back the family doctor, by incentivising GPs to see the same patient, so ongoing or complex conditions are dealt with effectively. In doing so, we will improve continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer accident and emergency attendances.