Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional GPs that will be needed in the London Borough of Newham by 2020.

NHS England is responsible for the provision of primary medical services in England. As such, it is for NHS England to ensure that patients in all areas have access to general practitioner (GP) services. To assess GP service provision in an area and identify future requirements, NHS England works with the Care Quality Commission and local clinical commissioning groups. In terms of overall strategy, the provision of primary care will be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which is published in each local authority area and reported through the local Health and Well-being Board. The JSNA will identify any gaps and risks in the provision of primary care to the local population which, in turn, will then inform commissioning strategies for that area.

The Government has committed to an extra 5,000 doctors in general practice by 2020, as part of a wider increase to the total workforce in general practice of 10,000.