§ Mr. HannamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost per patient per annum for general practitioner services.
§ Mr. FreemanIn 1987–88, the latest year for which full information is available, the total cost of the general medical services in England represented an average cost per patient per annum of about £26.50. Including the cost of drugs and appliances prescribed by general medical practitioners, the average cost rises to about £59. These figures exclude any element for the costs of hospital referrals initiated by general medical practitioner, or for the administrative costs of family practitioner committees which manage these and other family practitioner services.