Sunak promises 100 new GP surgeries and major renovation programme if Tories win general election

1 June 2024, 22:51

Rishi Sunak has promised 100 new GP surgeries and a plan to modernise 150 more if the Conservative party win the next election.

In their first major health offer of the General Election, the Conservatives have said they will bring more care services into the community.

Under the plans, the party would build 100 new GP surgeries and modernise a further 150.

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Areas of the greatest need, especially those with large numbers of new homes, would be the focus of the proposal.

The Conservatives would expand the Pharmacy First scheme, launched in England earlier this year, which allows patients to access some simple treatments via their pharmacy without having been to a GP first.

Treatment for more conditions, such as acne and chest infections, would be offered, which the Tories claim would free up 20 million GP appointments in total once fully scaled.

The party has also pledged to build a further 50 community diagnostic centres, which are aimed at giving patients access to diagnoses closer to home without having to visit large hospital sites.

The existing programme has delivered 160 centres so far.

The Conservatives claim their planned expansion of community care is fully costed, and will be paid for by cutting back the number of NHS managers to pre-pandemic levels and halving management consultancy spend across Government.

The new GP surgeries will also in part be paid for by an overhaul in planning guidance to ensure health gets a bigger share of developer contributions from new housing developments.

Rishi Sunak said: "The NHS is one of our most important national assets and the Conservatives are taking the long-term decisions to secure its future.

"As part of our clear plan we are investing in community services making it quicker, easier and more convenient for patients to receive the care they need and help to relieve pressure on hospital services.

"Only the Conservatives will take the bold action needed to secure the NHS's future so that you can be safe in the knowledge that the NHS will be there for you and your family whenever you need it."

The Health Secretary Victoria Atkins meanwhile added: "Pharmacies, GPs and Community Diagnostic Centres are the backbone of our NHS. Because of bold action we have taken, they are more accessible in more places for more people.

"I know just how important it is for people to have access to health services and treatment close to home - and Pharmacy First and our hundreds of new Community Diagnostic Centres have been a real success story so far. But we must do more.

"Our clear plan will continue to enable our brilliant pharmacists, GPs and CDCs to do what they do best: serving their local community and boosting capacity in our NHS. We will make the NHS faster, simpler and fairer for all."

Conversely, Labour's NHS plan detailed on their website reads: "As a first step for change in the NHS, Labour will cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more evening and weekend appointments each week, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-doms.

"We will introduce a national NHS programme to carry out more operations, appointments and diagnostic tests during the evenings or at weekends, paying staff overtime rates to do extra shifts out of hours.

"In addition to this, we’ll get the NHS working differently, by setting up shared waiting lists and collaboration between hospitals, and trialling Neighbourhood Health Centres, bringing together doctors, district nurses, care workers, physiotherapists, and mental health specialists under one roof."

The Conservatives announcement comes as a senior Liberal Democrat candidate has said the Government has "failed to fix our crumbling hospitals".

The party's manifesto will feature a pledge to "reverse cuts to the Public Health Grant" for local authorities in an "invest to save" bid, a spokesperson said.

Announcing the General Election pledge, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "The Conservative Party has decimated public health funding, leaving Britain with a ticking time bomb of health challenges.

"The public health crisis in our country has Rishi Sunak's fingerprints all over it. He has slashed funding for vital local services that support children, failed to fix our crumbling hospitals and overseen a stark rise in health inequality. "The Liberal Democrats would reverse these scandalous cuts and invest in empowering local communities and individuals to lead healthier lives. It is time to recognise that it is far cheaper to prevent ill health than to treat it."