§ Caroline FlintTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population lives(a) within one mile of and (b) over three miles from a GP practice in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas. [124530]
§ Mr. DenhamInformation is not available in the form requested. From the information that is available I can say that
in predominantly urban areas, 99 per cent. of patients live between one and 2.5 miles and 1 per cent. live more than 2.5 miles from a main surgery.in predominantly rural areas, the figures are 91 per cent. and 9 per cent. respectively.These figures tend to overstate both the numbers living more than 2.5 miles, and understate how many people live within one mile of a general practitioner's surgery because no account is taken of Branch Surgeries. Branch Surgeries are provided to help improve access for patients often in rural areas.