Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to help increase the number of GP appointments in Ashfield.

We recognise that patients are finding it difficult to see a general practitioner (GP), and we are committed to fixing the front door to the National Health Service.

We are investing an additional £889 million in general practice to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. The changes to the contract will improve services for patients and make progress towards the Government’s health mission, supporting the three key shifts the Government wants to achieve, namely from analogue to digital, sickness to prevention, and from hospital to community care).

In addition, in October 2024, we provided an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme enabling the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified GPs across England. This will increase the number of appointments delivered in general practice, which will benefit thousands of patients that are struggling to get the care they need.