Over 1,000 GPs premises 'inadequate'
Many GPs are working in inadequate practices, survey claims
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Thursday, 14, Sep 2006 01:05
Over 1,000 GPs surgeries are not fit for purpose, a new survey claims.
Published today in Pulse, a magazine for GPs, the study found that at least one in seven practice premises in the UK do not meet the required standards.
Data supplied from primary care organisations (PCOs) suggests that the situation is worse than previously thought, Pulse claims.
Three in five PCOs said that at least one of their surgeries is inadequate. Some areas, including Bromley and Lewisham in south-east London, said that almost all surgeries were unfit.
In Scotland, Grampian, Ayrshire and Arran were found to be the worst affected, while in Wales Flintshire reported the most inadequate surgeries. The Northern Board was the worst affected in Northern Ireland.
Jo Haynes, editor of Pulse, said: "GPs want to take on more work from hospitals and provide more services for patients from their surgeries.
"But they are being prevented from doing so because the government refuses to invest the comparatively small amount of money to enable primary care organisations to fund new premises."
Dr Peter Holden of the British Medical Association's GP committee commented that the survey's findings reflected the "peanuts" spent on premises by the Department of Health (DoH).
Responding to the survey, health minister Lord Warner said that GPs surgeries were improving and that £1 billion had been invested in them and healthcare centres.
He added that the DoH was helping 125 new health centres to be opened by the end of the year.