Progress was made today on this issue which is very important to South West Bedfordshire, as well as to many other parts of the country when the Prime Minister committed to taking a personal lead in resolving this issue.
In the past there have not been sufficient developer contributions to get the increase in general practice capacity we need as new homes get built. We have 8,000 houses being built north of Houghton Regis and 6,000 to the east of Leighton Buzzard. The NHS use a figure of 2.6 residents per property so this means an additional 36,000 new residents, all of whom will need to get in to see a GP or a practice nurse from time to time. We have a history, over governments of both persuasions, of not getting this right and we have to get it right for the future as well as putting it right for what happened in the past.
The exchange between Andrew Selous and the Prime Minister in Parliament today was as follows.
Many areas like mine have already had massive new housing development with no commensurate increase in general practice capacity. At one of my surgeries, which has double the recommended number of patients per GP, the bowel cancer diagnosis of a 51-year-old father of four was missed and is now terminal. Getting this right is a life and death issue, so will the Prime Minister make sure that parts of the country that have already had massive new housing growth get the commensurate increase in general practice capacity that is only right and fair?
Yes, of course. We have 6,000 more doctors, 1,200 more GPs than this time last year and 11,800 more nurses, but we must make sure that areas with sensitive new development have the infrastructure and services, particularly medical services, that they need. The NHS has a statutory duty to take account of population growth. I know my hon. Friend has met my right hon. Friend the Health Secretary, and I will take this up personally to make sure we get a proper approach to this very important issue.
