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 to improve patient access to primary care in (a) Mid Cheshire constituency, (b) Cheshire and (c) England.

We are committed to fixing the crisis in primary care to secure the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service and increase access to local services across the country.

We are also committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier. We will trial Neighbourhood Health Centres to bring together a range of services under one roof, ensuring healthcare is closer to home and that patients receive the care they deserve.

We have pledged to train thousands more general practitioners (GPs) to increase capacity, and additional funding of £82 million has now been made available to include newly qualified GPs in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme over 2024/25.