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Strengthening family doctor services

New GP practices for under served areas and new proposals for £105 million investment have been set out.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson has underlined the Government's commitment to improving family doctor services alongside further plans to tackle long-standing inequalities in GP provision.

Twelve new GP practices will be set up in some of the more poorly served areas in England. A consultation will also shortly be launched with the BMA on a proposed £105 million investment in existing GP practices to further expand clinical services and to improve access for patients, as well as the implementation of the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body annual recommendations for GP pay.

New GP Practices

The twelve Primary Care Trusts benefitting from a new GP practice will each receive over £1.1m by 2010/11 as their share of the £250m access fund announced last autumn, to fund at least 100 new GP practices in the most deprived areas and 152 GP-led health centres.

Areas with the fewest GPs have poorer general health and greater deprivation. Some areas only have 43 GPs per 100,000 people compared to 88 GPs per 100,000 people in areas with the best coverage.

The new practices announced today will increase family doctor capacity in places that need it most and offer a range of innovative services such as extended opening hours and extended practice catchment areas as well as increased choice of GP practices for patients and reduced pressure on existing GP practices.

The first practices are expected to be open to patients in less than a year's time. Primary Care Trusts will work with clinicians and the public to develop patient services that reflect local needs and then look to potential providers to come forward with innovative proposals for the new practices.

• 5 May 2008 - news story (opens new window)