The UK Government’s Plan for Change aims to deliver 8.3m new GP appointments following surgery refurbishments
Following a cash injection of over £102m from the UK Government, over 1000 practices will receive funding to create additional space to increase GP appointments, boost productivity, and improve patient care.
GP surgeries lack adequate facilities to accommodate patients
Currently, GP practices could see more patients, but many do not have enough room or facilities to accommodate them. The new funding will create new consultation and treatment rooms to make better use of the existing space.
The £102m funding boost is the most significant investment into GP practices in the last five years and will help shift care out of hospitals and into the community.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes 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 from treating more patients.
It is only because of the necessary decisions we made in the budget that we can invest in GP surgeries, start tackling the 8 am 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.”
Improving access to GP appointments
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 GP appointments and 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 the 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.”
Lord Darzi’s report highlighted the barriers to high-quality patient care
Lord Darzi’s independent report found that outdated, inefficient buildings create barriers to delivering high-quality patient care and reduce staff productivity. The latest funding boost will tackle this to ensure services are fit for the future.
Lord Ara Darzi said: “My review found that the primary care estate is simply not fit for purpose, with many GP surgeries housed in inflexible, outdated buildings that cannot enable safe, high-quality care. Today’s investment marks a crucial turning point in addressing this long-standing issue, helping create the modern, purpose-built primary care facilities that patients and staff deserve.”
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. “
Ruth Rankine, primary care director at the NHS Confederation, said: “GPs and their teams welcome this vital capital funding to modernise premises to deliver high-quality care, closer to home, and fit for the 21st century.
Primary care is the front door of the health service and has been managing increasing demand, yet a historic lack of capital funding in estates has been one of the biggest barriers to improving productivity and creating buildings suitable for modern health care – with a fifth of GP estates pre-dating the NHS and half more than 30 years old.
If we are serious about shifting care from hospital to community, from sickness to prevention, and from analogue to digital, then sustained investment in primary and community estates, equipment and technology is vital.”
