Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how access to GP and primary care services differs between areas of high and low deprivation; and what steps they are taking to address unequal access and capacity.

General practices (GPs) serving more deprived areas receive on average 9.8% less funding per needs adjusted patient than those in less deprived communities, despite having greater health needs and significantly higher patient-to-GP ratios.

We recognise the importance of ensuring funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country. This is why we are currently reviewing the way GP funding is allocated across England, via the Carr-Hill formula. The review will look at how health needs are reflected in the distribution of funding through the GP Contract.

To further improve access and capacity, we have invested £1.1 billion in GPs, and £160 million of this has been to expand the GP workforce, by recruiting 2,000 more GPs since October 2024.