Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by the Royal College of General Practitioners entitled Fit for the Future GP Pressures 2023, published in March 2023, what plans his Department has to support GP retention schemes; and if he will make a statement.

We are working with NHS England to increase the general practice (GP) workforce in England. This includes measures to boost recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave and encourage them to return to practice.

NHS England has made available a number of recruitment and retention schemes to boost the GP workforce. This includes the GP Retention Scheme, the GP Retention Fund, the National GP Induction and Refresher, the Locum Support Scheme, and the Supporting Mentors Scheme.