Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
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 (a) improve access to GPs and (b) increase the number of FTE GPs (i) in work and (ii) on permanent contracts.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are increasing the capacity in general practices by investing £160 million via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to recruit more general practitioners (GPs) to ensure the delivery of more GP appointments. Since October 2024, 3,073 individual GPs have been recruited into work, preventing them from graduating into unemployment. Further flexibilities were made to the ARRS to enable primary care networks to recruit recently qualified GPs, including removing caps on the number of GPs that can be recruited through the scheme to increase the number of both part-time and full-time GPs in employment.
As a result, 6.8 million additional appointments were delivered in the year to December 2025, compared with the previous 12 months, and there is now the largest number of fully qualified GPs since 2015
We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest cash increase in over a decade and will facilitate the recruitment of GPs. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the National Health Service budget as a whole.
The Government is also committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. The plan will also ensure that staff are better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future.
Importantly, after a decade of declining satisfaction, patient experiences with access to their GP has improved significantly. As of December 2025, 75.2% of patients report that they find it is easy to contact their GP, a 14.3 percentage point increase since July 2024.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide funding for the primary care network estate in areas with low GP-to-patient ratios.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.
In May 2025, the Government announced the schemes which integrated care boards (ICBs) nominated as eligible to benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.
Building on this, the Government has committed £426 million of Utilisation and Modernisation funding over the next four years to continue upgrading the GP estate. This funding will also support refurbishing the existing estate to deliver Neighbourhood Health Centres over this Parliament as part of the 10-Year Health Plan commitment.
Operational capital funding allocations have been confirmed for the 2026/27 to 2029/30 period, enabling multi-year planning for ICBs and in turn supporting the delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan’s radical vision for care.
The Government has also allocated £750 million per year for estates safety from 2026/27 to 2029/30, with planning certainty for a further five years, totalling £6.75 billion.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including GPs, in each local area.
As part of inspection activity at GP surgeries, the Care Quality Commission will look at the quality of premises under Regulation 15, covering premises and equipment, although there is no overall rating for this aspect. The intention of this regulation is to make sure that the premises where care and treatment are delivered are clean, suitable for the intended purpose, maintained and, where required, appropriately located, and that the equipment that is used to deliver care and treatment is clean, suitable for the intended purpose, maintained, stored securely, and used properly.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to help address the maintenance backlog in primary care estates.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.
In May 2025, the Government announced the schemes which integrated care boards (ICBs) nominated as eligible to benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.
Building on this, the Government has committed £426 million of Utilisation and Modernisation funding over the next four years to continue upgrading the GP estate. This funding will also support refurbishing the existing estate to deliver Neighbourhood Health Centres over this Parliament as part of the 10-Year Health Plan commitment.
Operational capital funding allocations have been confirmed for the 2026/27 to 2029/30 period, enabling multi-year planning for ICBs and in turn supporting the delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan’s radical vision for care.
The Government has also allocated £750 million per year for estates safety from 2026/27 to 2029/30, with planning certainty for a further five years, totalling £6.75 billion.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including GPs, in each local area.
As part of inspection activity at GP surgeries, the Care Quality Commission will look at the quality of premises under Regulation 15, covering premises and equipment, although there is no overall rating for this aspect. The intention of this regulation is to make sure that the premises where care and treatment are delivered are clean, suitable for the intended purpose, maintained and, where required, appropriately located, and that the equipment that is used to deliver care and treatment is clean, suitable for the intended purpose, maintained, stored securely, and used properly.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of capacity of NHS primary care premises in Thurrock on the recruitment of GPs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made by the Department of the potential impact of National Health Service primary care premises in Thurrock on the recruitment of general practice (GP) doctors. It is the responsibility of the NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) to ensure that the NHS estate in Thurrock is fit for purpose, in order to meet the needs of the local population. GP contractors are responsible for securing, managing, and maintaining suitable premises. The ICB has set up a new joint estates group with Thurrock Council to identify where void space can be used to enhance access to primary, community, and social care facilities.
The ICB has a range of schemes to improve recruitment and retention of GPs, including GP partnership courses, portfolio development scheme, and fellowships for newly qualified GPs. Thurrock has seen an increase in the number of GPs with at least 82 full time equivalent GPs now working in Thurrock, the highest number recorded since March 2016.
At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years and new-build sites opening in the medium term. The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030 and will be delivered through public private partnerships and public capital. We are also providing £426 million over four years through the Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, upgrading GP estates, and supporting delivery of 40 to 50 NHCs this Parliament through refurbishment of existing buildings.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the establishment of the Jean Bishop Centre in Hull in 2018, whether his Department has conducted a cost–benefit analysis of a more integrated model of service for elderly patients.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service, delivering truly integrated, proactive, and personalised care closer to where people live and work. There are substantial benefits to this more integrated approach to health and adult social care. Please see the 10-Year Health Plan Impact Assessment for further information, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-statement-10-year-health-plan-for-england
The Department is committed to this approach, recognising that an immediate priority for the National Health Service in developing Neighbourhood Health Services is to support individuals with complex needs, especially older people, those living with frailty, and those at the end of life. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, including services for elderly people.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Stockton West constituency compared with the national average; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally, including through the introduction of a modern service framework for respiratory care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.
Data is available for emergency finished admission episodes where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. Data for Stockton West is shown in the table.
Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | ||
Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence (Office for National Statistics) | 2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025) | 2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025, provisional) |
Stockton West | 1215 | 1025 |
England | 608,449 | 423,588 |
Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England |
| |
Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department of Health And Social Care Fingertips website. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority and integrated care board level. Information for Stockton on Tees is available at the following link:
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of regional variation in primary care estate in relation to their (a) condition and (b) capacity; and what steps is he taking to help improve this.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.
In May 2025, the Government announced the schemes which integrated care boards (ICBs) nominated as eligible to benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.
Building on this, the Government has committed £426 million of Utilisation and Modernisation funding over the next four years to continue upgrading the GP estate. This funding will also support refurbishing the existing estate to deliver Neighbourhood Health Centres over this Parliament as part of the 10-Year Health Plan commitment.
Operational capital funding allocations have been confirmed for the 2026/27 to 2029/30 period, enabling multi-year planning for ICBs and in turn supporting the delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan’s radical vision for care.
The Government has also allocated £750 million per year for estates safety from 2026/27 to 2029/30, with planning certainty for a further five years, totalling £6.75 billion.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including GPs, in each local area.
As part of inspection activity at GP surgeries, the Care Quality Commission will look at the quality of premises under Regulation 15, covering premises and equipment, although there is no overall rating for this aspect. The intention of this regulation is to make sure that the premises where care and treatment are delivered are clean, suitable for the intended purpose, maintained and, where required, appropriately located, and that the equipment that is used to deliver care and treatment is clean, suitable for the intended purpose, maintained, stored securely, and used properly.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of GP premises are rated as not fit for purpose or requiring significant investment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of strategic, value for money investments in capital projects, such as new facilities, significant upgrades, or other targeted capital investments.
In May 2025, the Government announced the schemes which integrated care boards (ICBs) nominated as eligible to benefit from the £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund to deliver upgrades to more than a thousand general practice (GP) surgeries across England this financial year. These schemes will create additional clinical space within existing building footprints to enable practices to see more patients, boost productivity, and improve patient care.
Building on this, the Government has committed £426 million of Utilisation and Modernisation funding over the next four years to continue upgrading the GP estate. This funding will also support refurbishing the existing estate to deliver Neighbourhood Health Centres over this Parliament as part of the 10-Year Health Plan commitment.
Operational capital funding allocations have been confirmed for the 2026/27 to 2029/30 period, enabling multi-year planning for ICBs and in turn supporting the delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan’s radical vision for care.
The Government has also allocated £750 million per year for estates safety from 2026/27 to 2029/30, with planning certainty for a further five years, totalling £6.75 billion.
ICBs are responsible for commissioning, which includes planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including GPs, in each local area.
As part of inspection activity at GP surgeries, the Care Quality Commission will look at the quality of premises under Regulation 15, covering premises and equipment, although there is no overall rating for this aspect. The intention of this regulation is to make sure that the premises where care and treatment are delivered are clean, suitable for the intended purpose, maintained and, where required, appropriately located, and that the equipment that is used to deliver care and treatment is clean, suitable for the intended purpose, maintained, stored securely, and used properly.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of regional variations in the quality of GP specialty training.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Post-graduate medicine general practice specialty trainees consistently report high levels of satisfaction with their overall educational experience, according to the results of the National Education and Training Survey (NETS), 2022 to 2024.
Alongside NETS reporting broadly consistent overall educational experience satisfaction rates across regions, this speciality programme has a low attrition rate nationally.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 107846 on GP Practice lists, how many and what proportion of patients registered on 1 January 2026 were foreign nationals.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data regarding the number and proportion of National Health Service general practice registrations that were for people not born in the United Kingdom.