Health Secretary Wes Streeting says the Government will spend £102m doing up doctors’ surgeries across England to give them the facilities to see more patients
GP surgeries across the country are due to get a refurb in a huge investment to boost family doctors’ buildings. The Government says the £102million cash boost to upgrade more than 1,000 practices will result in them being able to deliver 8.3million more appointments this year.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting says it will create additional space to see more patients, boost productivity and improve patient care, following years of neglect under the Tories. Data suggests right now many GP surgeries could be seeing more patients, but do not have enough room or the right facilities to accommodate them. Mr Streeting said: “It will be a long road, but this government is putting in the work to fix our NHS and make it fit for the future.
“These are simple fixes for our GP surgeries but for too long they were left to ruin, allowing waiting lists to build and stopping doctors treating more patients.
“It is only because of the necessary decisions we took in the Budget that we are able to invest in GP surgeries, start tackling the 8am scramble and deliver better services for patients. The extra investment and reform this government is making, as part of its Plan for Change, will transform our NHS so it can once again be there for you when you need it.”
The GP buildings drive will create new consultation and treatment rooms and make better use of existing space. The Government says these “quick fixes” will help patients across the country be seen faster. It says the cash boost represents the biggest investment in GP facilities in five years.
Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association said: “Today’s investment in improving GP surgeries is a much-needed step towards better access to care closer to home. Our reporting shows nearly one-third of patients struggle to book GP appointments, and we have long highlighted what matters in healthcare facilities: truly accessible spaces where everyone receives care with dignity.
“The potential for 8.3 million additional appointments from these refurbishments will make a real difference to communities waiting for care. Crucially, it delivers on what patients themselves have called for: modern, accessible spaces that support high-quality care. We look forward to seeing these upgrades rolled out, with a continued focus on ensuring patients everywhere get timely support in settings that support their dignity. This investment represents a meaningful step toward realising what patients have long been asking for. “
In Norwich, Prospect Medical Practice – serving nearly 7,000 patients in some of the city’s most deprived areas – will create new clinical rooms to deliver more patient consultations. In the Black Country, vacant office spaces in Harden Health Centre will be converted into clinical consulting rooms, allowing more patient access to primary care.
Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services, said: “We know more needs to be done to improve patient access to general practice and this investment in over one thousand primary care premises will help do this.
“Bringing GP premises up to a similar condition across England is important to improve patient experience of NHS services, while making primary care a better working environment as we seek to retain and recruit more staff. It will also help to create additional space and extend the capacity of current premises as we improve access further and bring care closer to the communities where people live as part of the 10 Year Health Plan.”
The first projects are expected to begin in summer 2025.
Last month Mr Streeting said that he hopes access to GP services will be “wildly different” before the next general election, but would not commit to a closer timeline. He told LBC radio: “Let’s certainly hope that, by the next general election, people feel that their experience of accessing general practice is wildly different and improved compared to when we came in.
“I wouldn’t like to give you a deadline today and then fall short. So, as I say, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating and whether people feel that their experience is better by the next general election. Otherwise, if I’m not delivering what the Prime Minister expects (of) me, he will get rid of me long before the next general election because he is a hard taskmaster.”