Responding the announcement of new funding for "bricks and mortar" upgrades, Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of GPC England, said:

"All new funding is welcome in the current parlous situation many GPs find themselves in, but the scale of the task facing the Government is far greater than these sums would suggest. To put it in context, £102m would barely pay for a handful of  individual new surgeries, let alone do much to restore the more than 6,300 current surgeries across England.

"Many of these surgeries are a constant headache for the GPs who work in them. GPs want to be focused on patient care and delivering a good service - not anxious about the decision to either keep staff or keep their surgery buildings in a fit condition.

"The Darzi review, ordered last year by the current health secretary, pointed out that a fifth of the GP estate predates the NHS itself. The Government appreciates the depth of the challenge of GP infrastructure, and we are keen to work with ministers to determine how we can use the Secretary of State’s promise of a new GP practice contract this parliament to overhaul the estate so it is fit for the high quality healthcare we want patients to receive well into the future.

"For the majority of patients, their NHS experience starts and ends with general practice. The capital spending on this all-important part of the NHS journey is currently a tiny fraction of the total. If they can deliver major investment in GP premises renewal, the government has an opportunity to deliver visible change to the 1.5 million patients who use GP services across England every day."

Notes to editors

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