READING West and Mid Berkshire MP Olivia Bailey has welcomed the announcement of funding boosts which include three local practises.
It comes as the government has announced £102m funding for over 1000 GP practices to refurbish and expand premises, including 3 practices in Reading West and Mid Berkshire.
Theale and Pangbourne will be among those supported to modernise, backed by the biggest public investment in GP facilities for five years.
The Labour MP for the constituency, Ms Bailey, has welcomed the Labour government’s announcement that patients will benefit from over 8.3 million more GP appointments nationwide each year as over a thousand doctor’s surgeries receive a building upgrade to modernise practices.
The announcement was made as many practises don’t have enough room or the right facilities to accommodate them.
Funding will go towards creating new consultation and treatment rooms to making better use of existing space, with a number of quick fixes aimed to help patients across the country, including in Reading West and Mid Berkshire, be seen faster.
Projects will be delivered during the 2025-26 financial year, with the first upgrades expected to begin in summer 2025.
Olivia Bailey said “Local people tell me time and time again how hard it is to get a GP appointment, and so it is really welcome news that Theale, Compton, and Pangbourne surgeries will benefit from this funding boost from the government.
“This comes on top of the additional funding for more GPs for our area”.
Olivia also welcomed that Labour was “already starting to fulfil their promise to end the 8am scramble for appointments and to bring back the family doctor.”
“Local people tell me time and time again how hard it is to get a GP appointment, and so it is really welcome news that Theale, Compton, and Pangbourne surgeries will benefit from this funding boost from the government.
“This comes on top of the additional funding for more GPs for our area.
“Labour promised to end the 8am scramble for appointments and to bring back the family doctor, and through our plan for change we are starting to do just that.”
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.”
