Lord Winstanleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will now discuss with the General Medical Services Committee methods of reducing the average number of patients on general practitioners' lists in urban areas.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Security (Lord Glenarthur)We have no plans for any such discussions. The average number of patients on general practitioners' lists in England is reducing as the number of general medical practitioners increases faster than the population. It fell in each of the 10 years to 1st October 1982, when, at 2,155, it was the lowest figure since records were first kept in 1954. The average for urban areas is not significantly greater than for the country as a whole.