The government has announced that funding will be provided to approximately one in six GP practices in England to help improve their buildings. Approximately £102 million is being allocated to expand and modernise practices, with work set to begin in summer 2025. The government has said this marks the largest public investment in healthcare facilities in five years.

This funding initiative comes at a time when satisfaction levels with GP services have reached record lows, and data indicates that 40% of GPs believe their premises are not fit for purpose.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the funding as a “significant step” but cautioned that it would not resolve all existing issues immediately. The plan includes projects such as converting office spaces into clinical consulting rooms and constructing new practices.

Mr. Streeting said.

“These are simple fixes for our GP surgeries, but for too long they were left to ruin, allowing waiting lists to build and preventing doctors from 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.”

Professor Kamila Hawthorne of the Royal College of GPs welcomed the funding announcement as an “encouraging interim measure” but emphasised that long-term investment is needed to address the “inadequate infrastructure.” She noted that poor infrastructure negatively impacts both patients and practice staff, limiting the care and services that can be provided.

Ruth Rankine, the primary care director at the NHS Confederation, stated that doctors would welcome the £102 million boost to “deliver high-quality care, closer to home, and fit for the 21st century.” She added that sustained investment in primary and community estates, equipment, and technology is essential for shifting care from hospitals to communities, from sickness to prevention, and from analogue to digital.

It remains unclear which of the 6,252 GP surgeries in NHS England will benefit from the new funding.