Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that new housing developments have adequate access to GPs.

The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government to ensure all new and existing developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure. This is alongside guidance on how developer contributions from new housing developments can be better negotiated and used towards delivering local health services and infrastructure.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning, planning, securing, and monitoring general practice services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes.