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 potential implications for his polices of regional variances in GP surgery expansion approvals under the integrated care board-led funding mechanism.
Primary care funding is formulated within NHS England allocations, which account for elements of population growth and other factors such as weighted need. The allocations process uses a statistical formula to make geographic distribution fair and objective, so that it more clearly reflects local healthcare need and helps to reduce health inequalities. Integrated care boards prioritise how the funding is used, based on local factors and determinants.