Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 1 April (HL15592), whether they have assessed proposals for a system for equitable distribution of general practitioners in England; and whether amendments to implement any such proposal would be in scope of the NHS Modernisation Bill.

We are expanding the recruitment of general practice (GP) doctors to improve access to appointments. Since October 2024, we have funded primary care networks (PCNs) with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, preventing over 3,700 GPs graduating into unemployment.

Changes to the 2026/27 GP Contract have removed restrictions so that PCNs can hire more GPs. We introduced a practice level GP reimbursement scheme, worth £292 million, which enables practices to hire additional GPs or fund extra GP sessions with existing GPs. This is intended to help improve access, boost capacity, support GP employment, and continue to improve patient satisfaction. In July 2024, there were 27,735 fully qualified full time equivalent GPs and as of April 2026 there are 30,095, an extra 2,000 GPs. This is the highest number since 2015. This is separate to the passage of the bill.

We are aware that workforce shortages can be greater in some, often deprived, areas. We recognise the importance of ensuring that funding for core GP services is distributed fairly between practices across the country, and we know that the current distribution formula is considered outdated. The first phase of a review of the Carr-Hill formula concluded in May and the recommendations are with the Department for consideration.