Patients in Northampton South will benefit from over 8 million new GP appointments this year, being delivered through Labour's Plan for Change. Currently GPs have capacity to take on more patients but can’t because of outdated buildings limiting working spaces.

Over 1000 GP surgeries across the country, including in Northamptonshire to be supported to modernise, backed by the biggest public investment in GP facilities for five years.

Mike Reader, Labour MP for Northampton South has welcomed the Labour government’s announcement that patients will benefit from over 8.3 million more GP appointments each year as over a thousand doctor’s surgeries receive a bricks and mortar upgrade to modernise practices.

Mike Reader said that residents in Northampton South would soon feel the impact of an announcement that will "help deliver on Labour’s promise to fix the front door of the NHS".

placeholder image — Mike Reader meeting local residents

He added: “I am extremely excited to hear that St Luke’s Primary Care Centre is receiving this much-needed investment. I’ve been advocating for improvements in the care sector in Northampton and this extra funding will ensure that local residents have better services and improved facilities.”

Backed by the Labour 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, including in Northampton South.

This represents the biggest investment in GP facilities in five years and is only possible because of the difficult but necessary choices made by the government in the Budget to invest £26 billion into the NHS. And it is another measure helping the Labour government shift care out of hospital and into the community, as part of its Plan for Change.

St Luke’s Primary Care Centre said:

“The ARRS scheme has been instrumental in allowing us to expand our services at a time when demand for primary care is at an all-time high. Through the support of the ARRS, we have been able to recruit a highly skilled GP who brings added experience, energy, and continuity to our practice."

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.”