Asked by: Naushabah Khan (Labour - Gillingham and Rainham)
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 the adequacy of GP provision in Gillingham and Rainham; and what steps his department is taking to improve access to primary care services for residents in areas of higher deprivation within that area.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
Gillingham and Rainham sits within NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, where there was a 0.5% increase in general practice appointments in the 12-months to May 2026 compared to the previous year. In May 2026 there were a total of 1005 full-time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs), an increase from 933 in May 2025.
Kent and Medway ICB keeps GP provision under regular review, and as part of this has commissioned an independent review by the National Association of Primary Care into under-doctoring across the system. The review found that under-doctoring is not simply a numerical GP headcount issue, but a structural and geographically uneven capacity challenge shaped by clinical complexity, demographic pressure, workforce configuration, and changing professional expectations. It also found that some localities, including areas of higher deprivation, feel these impacts more.
In response to the review, the ICB is implementing a 24-month General Practice Improvement Plan, which will focus on improving access and responsiveness, strengthening practice resilience, supporting workforce stability and supervision, improving digital and telephony performance, reducing avoidable workload from primary-secondary care interface issues, and developing neighbourhood-based care models with general practice at their core.
Asked by: Naushabah Khan (Labour - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) mental health and (b) long-term support is available for women living with the consequences of pelvic mesh injuries.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by pelvic mesh, and recognises the profound, life‑changing impact these harms have had on individuals and their families. We know that for many, the consequences are ongoing and deeply felt.
There are nine specialist mesh centres across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications of mesh inserted for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse get the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need.
The current service specification requirements include psychology services, which should be available. It also states that patients should be able to have follow up reviews for up to five years post-surgery. On discharge from the Specialised Mesh Service at five years, there will be clear instructions for the general practitioner to refer the person back if there are any new problems.
However, services can always improve. NHS England has now completed their internal audit of mesh centres across England conducted in 2025, which was designed in partnership with patient representatives. Though the audit is showing the value and impact of the service delivered by mesh centres, with nearly 3,000 patients now seen in the services since their introduction, equating to 700 per year, there are distinct areas for improvement and a timeline for these improvements will be made at pace.
Asked by: Naushabah Khan (Labour - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to (a) improve GP access and (b) help reduce waiting times at Medway Maritime Hospital's emergency department in Gillingham and Rainham constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
We are improving capacity in general practices (GPs). We have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of over 2,000 more GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. As a result, we have successfully delivered an additional 11.5 million GP appointments for patients compared to the same period last year, meaning more patients are getting the support they need, when they need it. Patient satisfaction has also risen from 60.9% in July 2024, to 76.5% in May 2026, up 16.5 percentage points.
The Government is committed to improving urgent and emergency care services and reducing waits in emergency departments, including in Medway Maritime Hospital. The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework and the newly published Model Emergency Department set out the long-term approach to delivering safer, more efficient urgent and emergency care, reducing overcrowding and long waits, and improving patient experience. NHS England has also set ambitious improvement trajectories for accident and emergency performance over the coming years.
Through the 2025/26 Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, nearly £250 million was invested in same day and urgent care services to help avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and support faster diagnosis, treatment, and discharge.
Asked by: Naushabah Khan (Labour - Gillingham and Rainham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure constituents are financially supported when requesting a letter from their GP.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
There are some medical evidence letters, certificates or reports that general practices (GPs) may charge for, and others that they must not charge patients for. The legislation that sets this out is The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts and Personal Medical Services Agreements) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023, which form the basis of the GP contract with the NHS. There is no statutory limit to the level of such fees as this is outside of core NHS work.
The Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association suggests guideline fees for such services to help doctors set their own professional fees. We are continuing to work across Government to cut red tape and improve ways of working, including work to improve the patient experience, such as removing the need to request unnecessary medical evidence where possible.