Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of GP practices open in Barking constituency (a) on 12 October 2022 and (b) what the number was in 2013.

There are 22 practices registered in Barking in October 2022, with 27 practices registered in September 2013.

Practices close for a variety of reasons, including practice mergers or retirement. A reduction in practice numbers does not mean a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed and advised to register at another local practice of their choice. Practices and commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the affected patients have access to general practitioner services.