Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of the Government's policy on trends in the level of early retirement of GPs.

A GP's decision to retire can be influenced by many factors. We are working to support and grow the general practice workforce, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession, and encourage them to return to practice.

The updated GP Contract Framework for 2020/21 announced a number of new retention schemes, and continued support for existing schemes, to retain more GPs.

We are also working with the NHS and profession to understand how we can continue to help GPs and improve their working environment, particularly in light of the pressures from the pandemic.