Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to ensure Kington in Herefordshire has sufficient full-time GPs.

NHS England is responsible for commissioning general practitioner (GP) services, and is aware of recruiting difficulties in Herefordshire. NHS England is working with the local GP Federation to promote Herefordshire to GP trainees.

Nationally, there has been an increase of 1,677 full-time equivalent GPs (including Registrars and Retainers) since September 2010. At 30 September 2014 the total number of GPs was 36,920, which represents a real increase in capacity.

In addition this Government is committed to making 5,000 more GPs available by 2020. We will increase the number of GP trainees from 40% to 50% of all trainee doctors and expect Health Education England to ensure this happens. This will mean 3,250 training places for GPs each year from 2016.

NHS England, working with Health Education England, the Royal College of GPs, and the British Medical Association, published ‘Building the workforce’ in January 2015, which sets out plans to increase the size of the GP workforce backed with £10 million funding.