I am committed to ensuring that patients throughout the country have access to GP services, including in remote rural areas and also in disadvantaged urban areas, and that general practice is sustainable in such areas into the future.
In the context of the ongoing development of revised GP contractual arrangements, work is underway to consider the most appropriate way to support general practice in areas of social deprivation, particularly in disadvantaged urban areas. This will help inform future discussions with GP representative bodies on these matters. It would be premature, in advance of substantive progress regarding a new contract, to publish any proposal or position on matters which may be considered under the GP contract review process.