Patients will benefit from 8.3 million more appointments each year as over 1,000 GP surgeries receive a bricks-and-mortar upgrade to modernise practices.

Backed by the Government’s major cash injection of over £102m, more than 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.

According to the Government, many GP surgeries could be seeing more patients, but do not 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.

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

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 £26bn into the NHS.

And it is another measure helping the Government shift care out of hospitals and into the community, as part of its Plan for Change.

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.”

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.

While, 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.

Bringing GP premises up to a similar condition across England is important to improve patient experience of NHS services, while making primary care a better working environment as we seek to retain and recruit more staff

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 1,000 primary care premises will help do this.

“Bringing GP premises up to a similar condition across England is important to improve 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 Ara Darzi’s independent report found outdated, inefficient buildings create barriers to delivering high-quality patient care and reduce staff productivity.

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.

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

Projects will be delivered during the 2025-26 financial year, with the first upgrades expected to begin this summer.

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.”

Ruth Rankine, primary care director at the NHS Confederation, added: “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.”

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

And Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: ”Our last survey of members found that two in five GPs considered their premises unfit for purpose.

“This not only makes for a poor experience for both patients and practice staff, but it restricts the care and services a practice can provide.

“Nearly 90% of respondents to our survey said their practice didn’t have enough consulting rooms, and three quarters didn’t have enough space to take on additional GP trainees.

“Today’s announcement is an encouraging interim measure that shows the Government is listening and acknowledges that inadequate GP infrastructure needs to be addressed.

“We now need to see this followed up by further long-term investment.”

As part of its Plan for Change, the Government is also cutting 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.