Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Carr-Hill funding formula for primary health care is able to address the additional pressures created by the COVID-19 pandemic and, in particular, the pressures on primary care practices in areas of low vaccine take-up; and what steps they intend to take as a result.

The Carr-Hill funding formula adjusts the global sum payment to general practitioner (GP) contractors. The formula weights a practice’s patient list against a number of factors which reflect differences in the age and sex composition of the practice demographic, additional pressures generated by differential rates of patient turnover, morbidity, and the impact of geographical location. The Carr-Hill funding formula does not reflect changes in demand unless they are a result of a change in patient demographic or unavoidable practice costs, and so does not directly address COVID-19 related pressures or areas of low vaccine take-up.

To ensure that general practices are able to meet demand generated by the pandemic, we have made available an additional ringfenced £270 million from November 2020 until September 2021, to ensure GPs and their teams are able to continue to support all patients.