Labour County Councillor Vicky Oakley has today welcomed news that patients in Pegswood will benefit from some of the 8.3 million more appointments each year that will be created as a result of a new government scheme to upgrade and modernise over 1,000 doctor’s surgeries.

Backed by the government’s major cash injection of over £102 million, over 1,000 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 5 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.

Welcoming the plans, Pegswood County Councillor Vicky Oakley said,

“Labour was elected to deliver the change Pegswood desperately needs – and rescuing our NHS is absolutely critical to making that change a reality. The surgery opening half a day a week was never enough, this investment will bring positive change to Pegswood and our community.

“All to often, families in Pegswood wait for too long for a GP appointment. This investment – as part of Labour’s wider Plan for Change – that will see an additional £26bn invested in our health service.

“The Tories ran our health service into the ground, and Reform talk about abandoning a public health service all together – neither of them should be allowed anywhere near our NHS.

“Labour won’t be able to turn this country round overnight – but thanks to decisions like this we are moving in right direction.”

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 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.”

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,

“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.”

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 to 2026 financial year, with the first upgrades expected to begin in summer 2025.

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, 6 months ahead of schedule.