Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government for each year in England since 2008, how many (1) GP surgeries (including branch practices) were open, (2) GP surgeries (including branch practices) were newly opened, and (3) GP practices were operating.
Data prior to 2013 is not available. The following table shows the number of open practices and newly opened practices, including branches, each September from 2013 to September 2023, the most recent period for which data is available:
Year | Open practices | Newly opened practices |
2013 | 9,577 | 51 |
2014 |
| 63 |
2015 | 9,646 | 154 |
2016 | 9,540 | 99 |
2017 | 9,460 | 118 |
2018 | 9,463 | 203 |
2019 | 9,326 | 168 |
2020 | 9,168 | 97 |
2021 | 9,097 | 72 |
2022 | 9,015 | 99 |
2023 | 9,025 | 129 |
Source: data provided is from the Epraccur GP Practice data file, which is produced by NHS Organisation Data Service.
Note: The data includes main and branch practices, while COVID-19 service branches have been excluded.
It is not possible for us to distinguish between open and operating practices. Newly opened practices are defined as having opened within the 12 months up to the date referenced. Additionally, new branch practice openings include pre-existing practices that reopened as a branch of another practice.