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Written question asked by Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 13 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 July 2026 (named day). It was answered by Stephen Kinnock (Labour) on Thursday, 16 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

General Practitioners: Tunbridge Wells

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current ratio of GPs to patients is in Tunbridge Wells constituency; how this compares to five years ago; whether a threshold exists for the ratio of GPs to patients above which additional GP provision is required; and what criteria are used to determine when GP services should be expanded.

Answer

Tunbridge Wells had 5.1 full time equivalent doctors in general practice (GP) per 10,000 patients in March 2026, the most recent comparable month for which data is available. This compares with 5.2 in March 2021.

Each practice is required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. The demands each patient places on their practice are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole, not only GPs but also the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients.

No threshold exists for the ratio of GPs to patients above which additional GP provision is required. As independent contractors to the National Health Service, it is down to practices to determine the staffing and skills mix they recruit.

We are taking steps to boost capacity in GPs and support practices and primary care networks (PCNs) to recruit more GPs. Since October 2024, we have funded PCNs with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Over 2,200 individual GPs are currently in post as a result of the scheme, preventing them graduating into unemployment and increasing clinical capacity. This was a measure to respond to feedback from the profession and to help solve an immediate issue of GP unemployment.

Following feedback from the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation, we are introducing a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme which ring-fences and repurposes £292 million of funding from the current Capacity and Access Payment. This funding will be available to practices to hire additional GPs or fund additional sessions with existing GPs to improve access in GPs. This aims to strengthen capacity, access, and improve patient satisfaction, whilst also addressing GP unemployment and underemployment.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
18343
Session
2026-27
Subjects
General practitioners Tunbridge Wells
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk