Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in Walsall South constituency; and what that number was in 2013.

In September 2013, there were 29 practices registered in Walsall South. In October 2022, 24 practices were registered in this region.

Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice closes, patients are informed and advised to register at another local practice of their choice. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that affected patients have access to general practitioner services.