Town told to wait 10 more years for GP surgery

People living in a new town may have to wait up to 10 more years for a GP surgery, it has emerged.

Wixams near Bedford opened in 2009 and has 3,000 homes, but no GP practice.

According to a report presented to Central Bedfordshire Council on Monday, more than £5.5m in funding had been promised for the new surgery, but it may not open for up to 10 years.

An NHS spokesperson said it was still its ambition to develop a "permanent healthcare facility".

Residents of Wixams have to travel to GP practices in Bedford, Ampthill, Wootton and Great Denham to be seen.

Barbara Matthews is the chair of the Surgery Action Group in Wixams, which she said was set up in 2023 after local NHS commissioners previously withdrew funding for a new GP practice.

She said a wait of a further 10 years was "not acceptable" to residents who "really need a surgery in Wixams right now".

Discussions were under way between local NHS commissioners, Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council on how to speed up the process of building the surgery.

The £5.5m that has been promised would come in the form of S106 money, which is funding typically provided by housing developers as a contribution to the local community.

A spokesperson for the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board said: "We understand the concerns from residents that Wixams does not have a GP surgery and that they currently have to travel to neighbouring areas to access primary care services.

“We are working hard to improve access to existing primary care provision, through greater use of the Pharmacy First scheme, new professional roles in primary care, and better telephone services."

It also said the capital funding for the surgery was "not available to us" without the S106 money.

Central Bedfordshire Council said it was working closely with the NHS and Bedford Borough Council.

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