Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with representatives of general practice regarding the objectives set out in the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, including on achieving increased focus on prevention and continuity of care, in the context of levels of funding and workforce capacity in general practice.
General practitioners (GPs), and their representative groups, were consulted during the preparation of the 10-Year Health Plan, and we will continue to work with them closely to address any issues arising during its implementation, including during the annual GP Contract consultation.
We are investing £601 million in GPs in 2026/27, bringing the total spend on the GP Contract to £14 billion. This builds on last year’s £1.1 billion of investment. This uplift represents a 4.5% cash increase, or 2.2% real terms increase, and includes the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration recommended pay increase of 3.5%.
Thanks to actions taken by the Government, we have the highest number of fully qualified GPs since 2015, and steps are being taken to grow the GP workforce further. In July 2024, there were 27,735 fully qualified full-time-equivalent GPs, and as of July 2026, there are 30,218, which is over 2,400 more GPs.