A Newquay surgery is receiving a funding injection to undertake a refurbishment and provide more appointments for patients.

Newquay Health Centre in St Thomas Road will undergo a modernisation, which will create additional space to boost productivity and improve patient care.

The funding follows residents complaining they find it difficult to get an appointment, which many blame on the thousands of new houses being built in the town.

Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, says Government has listened to the urgent need for more GP investment and funded a refurbishment of Newquay Health Centre, which will “free up critically needed capacity for patients.”

The grant is part of the government funding of more than £102-million, which will benefit over 1,000 GP surgeries nationally.

Patients will benefit from a national programme to create over eight million new GP appointments this year, being delivered through Labour’s Plan for Change:

The first upgrades are expected to begin in the summer.

Mr Law said: “Currently GPs have capacity to take on more patients but can’t because of outdated buildings limiting working spaces.

“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 quick fixes will help patients across the country, including in Newquay, be seen faster.

“This is the first step in the long fight towards unlocking additional appointments in Newquay – where there is currently zero availability.

“I have been trying to get the ducks in a row on this for months now – culminating in me writing to and then meeting the Secretary of State in March.

“I am delighted to see this new funding pledged by the Labour Government, which will see not only upgraded facilities and urgently needed surgery capacity in Newquay, but also upgraded facilities at Brannel Surgery.”

He added that residents in Newquay would soon feel the impact of an announcement that will ‘help deliver on Labour’s promise to fix the front door of the NHS’ and would be ‘music to the ears of patients in Newquay who are too often stuck in the 8am scramble for a GP appointment.

“But that was just the start. We said we would fix the front door of the NHS – today we’re fixing the front, the sides, the back and all the rooms in between with the biggest investment GP facilities have seen for years. A Labour government delivering on our promises for Newquay.”

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.”

Narrowcliff Surgery recently reiterated its commitment to relocate to a purpose-built new facility off Trevenson Road at Nansledan where pre-approved planning permission has been granted.

The GP surgery wants to move to a larger new premises to meet the clinical needs of the growing population in the town.

The new premises would have extra clinical space, allowing more GPs and other frontline professionals to be employed, so the surgery could take on lots of new patients as the town expands.

Under the plans, all existing services would be retained, and new services would be offered. There may also be opportunities for other health services to co-locate.

Continuity of care would also be enhanced, as there would be more GPs, so patients would be more likely to see the same family doctor.

Greater car parking provision would be available at the new premises, which is also located on a main bus route.

The surgery is exploring options to fund the new premises, liaising with NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly and third party developers. If funding is secured, architectural plans will be produced and shared with the public.