Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2016 to Question 56319, on general practitioners, for what reason his Department does not estimate patient number projections.

The Department uses population projections by the Office of National Statistics to assess changes in demand for general practice services.

Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient future supply of staff, including those needed in specialist fields such as general practice, to meet the workforce requirements of the English health system. Each year, HEE produces a National Workforce Plan for England. This builds upon the needs of local employers, providers, commissioners and other stakeholders who, as members of its Local Education Training Boards, shape their local plans.

Demand forecasting is currently the responsibility of employers; it is an integral part of business planning and forms part of the Sustainable Transformation Planning process, led by NHS England.