Local MP welcomes funding to refurbish and upgrade two Herts GP surgeries

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP

TUESDAY 13TH MAY 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alistair Strathern, MP for the Hitchin constituency, has welcomed Government funding to deliver upgrades to Whitwell Surgery and Regal Chambers Surgery.

The two surgeries are among over 1000 nationally to be modernised by over £100m of new Government funding.

These upgrades will help unlock delivery of over 8 million new GP appointments nationally each year. This funding represents the biggest investment in GP surgeries in over 5 years.

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 investments will help patients across the country to be seen faster, and receive higher quality care at their local GP.

Strathern has been campaigning to improve local healthcare since he became an MP. This work has included supporting GP surgeries with their individual challenges. For example, he has pushed the local Integrated Care Board (ICB) to unlock funding to expand services at Shefford Medical Centre and Lower Stondon GP surgery, and worked with staff, patients and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at Larksfield Surgery after the CQC graded the practice ‘inadequate’.

Alistair Strathern MP said:

“This is fantastic news for residents in Whitwell and Hitchin. Users of these GP surgeries will soon see upgrades, more appointments and better care.

“From Kimpton to Shefford, I realise the challenge of making sure our local GP surgeries are there for all of us when we need them. But as our MP I will keep working with our surgeries day in, day out to deliver the investment and support they need.

“With over 3 million more GP appointments this year compared to last year, the overall NHS waiting list falling 6 months in a row and now this investment, I’m pleased to see the Government slowly turning our NHS around. I will work with it to make sure these benefits reach our communities as soon as possible.”

 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.”

Notes to editors:

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

You can see Strathern’s post about the surgery upgrades, here