More GP appointments in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent after surgery upgrades

Investment in healthcare buildings in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent means that about 250,000 extra GP appointments can be offered each year, a health board has said.

Money from the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund saw 19 GP practices receive upgrades and reconfigurations to their buildings, the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) confirmed.

The programme has delivered additional consulting and clinical rooms, and is helping practices increase appointment capacity and improve access to care where it is needed most.

It also supports the goals of the 10 Year Health Plan for England by offering more services in the local community rather than hospitals.

Surgeries in the area have benefitted from more than £1.5m to upgrade premises, while the Midlands has received over £18m, delivering a further 2.6m appointments for patients in our region.

The figures were revealed as the Government announced a 10-yeal capital development plan to rebuild the NHS and bring care closer to home.

Backed by a record capital budget for health, rising to £15 billion in 2029-30, the plan sets out how the government will rebuild, renew and modernise the NHS. It replaces years of short-term, stop-start investment with a long-term approach, helping the health service deliver major projects that modernise facilities, upgrade technology and deliver better care for patients.  

Government investment has already funded almost 800 upgrades to GP surgeries across England, helping practices create space for an estimated 9 million extra appointments. A further £200 million will help more GP surgeries expand and modernise, helping patients get appointments more easily, receive care closer to home and reducing pressure on hospitals.  

The plan also sets out how unused NHS land can be turned into affordable homes for healthcare workers. Nurses, porters, healthcare assistants and other NHS staff will be able to rent homes close to the hospitals where they work, helping them spend less time commuting and making it easier for the NHS to recruit and keep staff in areas where housing costs are highest.  

Minister of State for Health, Karin Smyth, said:

“NHS patients – and the brilliant staff who care for them – deserve modern buildings, reliable equipment and services fit for the future. 

“Too many NHS buildings are crumbling and outdated. This government is taking the long-term decisions needed to rebuild the health service.  

“Our 10 Year Capital Plan backs that ambition with record investment and reforms that will help patients get faster appointments, better facilities, modern technology and more care closer to home for patients across the country.”  

The government is investing at least £6.75 billion over the next nine years to repair hospitals, replace unsafe buildings and tackle the maintenance backlog, reducing the disruptions that can lead to cancelled appointments and delayed treatment. 

This plan confirms the government will deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres. Bringing together GPs, diagnostic tests, community and other services under one roof, they will make it easier for patients to get the care they need closer to home instead of travelling to hospital. 

Alongside improvements to buildings, the plan invests in better technology across the NHS. This includes improving the NHS App, introducing a Single Patient Record so patients do not have to repeat the same information to different parts of the health service, and replacing outdated systems that keep staff tied up with paperwork, and away from patients.  

The plan also sets out the government’s commitment to research and development capabilities, including a £650 million investment in genomics over the next five years. It supports national preparedness through investment in cyber resilience, biosecurity and the new National Biosecurity Centre, helping to protect the country against future health and security threats. 

This investment builds on wider reforms already driving NHS recovery. Backed by an extra £26 billion, the NHS has recruited thousands more staff and expanded care in the community. As a result, waiting lists have fallen by over 400,000 since July 2024 and patient satisfaction with GP access has risen to 76%. The NHS is now delivering record levels of elective care, with rising productivity and faster diagnoses, helping put the health service on a sustainable footing for the long term.