Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of GP patient-to-practice ratios in (a) rural constituencies and (b) West Dorset constituency.

As of 31 March 2025, the median number of patients per practice was 7,447 in the West Dorset constituency. This compares to 8,812 nationally. Data on general practice patient to practice ratios in rural constituencies is not held.

This government is determined to work with the NHS to fix the front door of our health service and ensure everyone can access GP services. The Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund was announced during the 2024 spending review and provides new capital funding of £102 million in 2025 to 2026 to support improvements in the primary care estate. The fund aims to enhance the use of existing infrastructure, create additional capacity for the GP and practice workforce, and enable additional patient appointments.