Peterborough GP surgeries to benefit from £1.5m investment to enable over 115,000 more appointments in Cambridgeshire

Patients in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are in line to benefit from more than 115,000 more GP appointments each year following an announcement of £1.5m funding to assist surgeries to upgrade and modernise their practices.

As part of a £102m investment across the country, the government has identified over 1000 GP surgeries for bricks and mortar upgrades.

According to the government, many GPs have capacity to take on more patients but can't because of outdated buildings limiting working spaces.

A government statement added: “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.”

The money has been allocated to the NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board.

The surgeries in Peterborough which are set to benefit are Werrington Health Centre and Jenner Healthcare in Whittlesey.

The funding will also be split with the Clarkson Surgery in Wisbech as well as the Fulbourn Health Centre (Cambridge), Orchard Surgery (Melbourn), Bourn Surgery (Cambridge), Almond Road Surgery (St Neots), Cornford House Surgery (Cambridge), Huntingdon Road Surgery (Cambridge), Lensfield Medical Practice (Cambridge) and Newnham Walk Surgery (Cambridge).

The exact details of the projects have yet to be revealed but the projects will be delivered during the 2025-26 financial year, with the first upgrades expected to begin in summer 2025.

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.”