Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the potential cost of employing 1,000 additional GP assistants as outlined in the Government's Plan for Patients.

General practice assistants (GPAs) were included in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) in October 2022. Through the Scheme, Primary Care Networks (PCNs) claim reimbursement for the salaries and some on-costs of defined roles in the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service.

Each PCN is entitled to a share of the total national budget, based on the size and needs of the local population and selects the roles to recruit within these budgets. The introduction of new roles such as the GPA provides PCNs and commissioners with more choice, flexibility and opportunity to utilise ARRS funding entitlements, increasing the number of patient-facing staff in local general practice teams.

The national budget for ARRS is currently approximately £1 billion and is expected to rise to over £1.4 billion next year. Information on planned PCN recruitment and expenditure of allocations indicates there is sufficient funding to meet expected demand for GPAs.