No doctors, no development: Lib Dem Martin Wrigley MP calls for a GP Guarantee on all new developments in Teignbridge as average surgery in serves 939 extra homes since 2015

No doctors, no development: Lib Dem Martin Wrigley MP calls for a GP Guarantee on all new developments in Teignbridge as average surgery in serves 939 extra homes since 2015

• The Liberal Democrats have unveiled a new plan to ensure all developments come with new or expanded GP surgeries in Teignbridge.
• The call comes as shocking analysis reveals that GP surgeries in Teignbridge have served an extra 939 homes each since 2015 (a 24.95 % increase).

Liberal Democrat Martin Wrigley, MP for the Newton Abbot constituency is launching a campaign to guarantee GP investment on new developments. It comes as Lib Dem analysis shows that 1300 surgeries have closed in a decade (between 2015 and 2025) across the country.

Lib Dem Martin Wrigley wants new or expanded GP surgeries to be up and running in areas of new development as soon as the first homes are sold. This is part of their proposed infrastructure first approach to development, and supports their campaign to rescue General Practice and ensure everyone can get an appointment within 7 days or 24 hours if urgent.

Developers in Teignbridge would be required to not only fund new facilities but to guarantee the GP surgery contract (or the cost of salaried GPs) while new residents are still moving in. This would ensure new residents don’t have to turn to over-stretched existing GPs.

Delivery of health services has been found to be integral for public trust, with recent LSE research finding that where GP provision has declined and more surgeries have closed, support for the extreme right has risen.

Martin said:

“There has never been a worse time to be a patient in Devon, with health services overstretched and NHS targets routinely missed. Our area badly needs investment in local services, including GPs, to cut waiting times and get people they care they desperately need.

“In communities across the country such as ours, when new housing is built, GPs are promised but not delivered - this must end. Councils and local communities should be given the powers to hold developers' feet to the fire and demand the local doctors surgeries we so badly need.

“That’s why I’m launching a campaign to get our local NHS back on track, by building and delivering the services our communities need and ensuring new homes always go hand in hand with more GPs."