§ Mr. CongdonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) GPs and (b) GP practices the Government estimate will become fundholders from April 1997; and what projections he has made for subsequent years.[20371]
§ Mr. MaloneA total of 1,714 general practitioners in 646 practices will join the fundholding scheme on 1 April this year. This will give a total of 15,137 GP fundholders in 4,381 practices. This means that 58 per cent. of people in England will have a fundholder as their GP from this April.
GPs have until 31 July 1997 to apply to join the eighth wave of GP fundholding.