Written questions by Strathern.

If he will make an estimate of the number of people who have been waiting more than four weeks for a GP appointment in Hitchin constituency.

The Hitchin constituency sits within the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board where, in May 2024, 649,000 general practice appointments were delivered. Of those, 29,000 appointments, or 4.1%, were delivered 28 days after booking, 0.7% less than the national average.In the 12 months up to May 2024, more than 156,000 appointments, which are not usually booked in advance, were delivered more than 28 days after they were booked. There are a number of factors which can influence the timing of appointments, and it is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery and an appointment.

How many children aged 11 and under with tooth decay were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction in Hitchin constituency in each of the last five years.

he information requested is not available on a constituency basis, or for the desired age band.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the time taken to access dental services in Hitchin constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges patients face when trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, and to recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The local integrated care boards (ICBs) for Hitchen are also taking actions to support access to dental services. In May 2024, the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB introduced a Dental Access Pilot which all patients can access via the NHS111 service. This pilot involves a small cohort of dental contractors working across four areas, providing additional dental sessions on evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.The Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB has been running a pilot scheme since December 2023 which provides additional urgent appointments during the day and in the evenings, as well as over weekends, to patients who are referred via NHS111.

What information his Department holds on the number and proportion of children aged four and under who were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in Hitchin constituency in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not available on a constituency basis, or for the desired age band for each of the last five years.

What steps his Department is taking to support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of (i) GPs and (ii) dentists in Hitchin constituency.

We have committed to training thousands more general practitioners (GPs) across the country as well as take pressure off those currently working in the system and NHS England has made a number of recruitment and retention schemes available to GPs.Getting a National Health Service dentist is increasingly difficult. The Government will tackle the immediate crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most.Hitchin constituency runs across two integrated care boards (ICBs), Hertfordshire & West Essex and Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes. Hertfordshire & West Essex ICB advises that recruitment initiatives include working with Primary Care Network training teams and supporting the training and development of GPs coming into practice. The Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB provides a range of initiatives to support with the recruitment and retention of GPs for its practices. These include a flexible staffing platform, Lantum, which aids retention of GPs by providing flexible roles, and support with workforce planning.