Patients to access over 8.3 million new appointments this year, helping deliver the government’s Plan for Change
Patients will benefit from over 8.3 million more appointments each year as over a thousand doctor’s surgeries receive a bricks and mortar upgrade to modernise practices.
Backed by the government’s major cash injection of over £102 million, over 1000 GP surgeries will receive vital funding to create additional space to see more patients, boost productivity and improve patient care, following years of neglect.
Right now, many GP surgeries could be seeing more patients, but don’t have enough room or the right facilities to accommodate them. From creating new consultation and treatment rooms to making better use of existing space, these quick fixes will help patients across the country be seen faster.
This represents the biggest investment in GP facilities in five years and is only possible because of the difficult choices made by the government to invest £26 billion into the NHS.
And it is another measure helping the government shift care out of hospital and into the community, as part of its Plan for Change.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said:
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:
Lord Darzi’s independent report found outdated, inefficient buildings create barriers to delivering high-quality patient care and reduce staff productivity. Today’s boost will tackle this, to make services fit for the future.
Lord Ara Darzi said:
This is the first national capital fund for primary care estates since 2020 and part of a comprehensive package of GP support, alongside recruiting 1,500 additional GPs and reducing bureaucracy.
Projects will be delivered during the 2025-26 financial year, with the first upgrades expected to begin in summer 2025.
Rachel Power, Chief Executive of the Patients Association said:
Ruth Rankine, primary care director at the NHS Confederation, said:
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said:
These upgrades complement the Government’s wider NHS reforms, recognising that investment alone isn’t enough and fundamental reform is essential to fix our broken healthcare system.
The Government is cutting pointless red tape through the new GP contract, expanding the NHS App to put patients in control of their healthcare, introducing the Advice and Guidance scheme to reduce unnecessary referrals, and enabling community pharmacists to prescribe for routine conditions with a new investment package.
Together, these changes free up clinicians’ time and bring care closer to home.
This is just the beginning of the transformation of primary care. Through our 10 Year Health Plan more care will be shifted out of hospitals and into communities where patients can access it more easily.
This government is going further and faster than ever to turn around the NHS, making it fit for the future. Over 3.1 million elective appointments have already been delivered since July 2024, six months ahead of schedule.
ENDS