A fair deal for our health services

Mayor Dave Hodgson and Bedford Borough Liberal would like to thank everyone who has signed the petition for a fair deal for our health services - Over 1,000 residents have already signed - and there is still time for you to add your name, if you haven't already, at www.bedfordlibdems.org.uk/GPShortage

Mayor Dave said "I'm very proud of the work we have done to save maternity and A&E services at Bedford Hospital and stopped the closure of Putnoe Walk-in Centre. These facilities provide vital services for residents and without them we would see even more pressure on our other medical practices. Whilst we have been successful in many of our campaigns, the fight is still not over. Bedford Borough needs more GPs - we have been saying this for years, yet the government are refusing to prioritise health infrastructure for our residents. Our doctors and nurses are working incredibly hard and need proper support from this government."

In January the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (ICB) admitted that the area has missed out on eight trainee GPs because there isn't sufficient space within its GP estate. In addition some of the proposed expansions to GP provisions in Wootton, Wixams, Shortstown, Harrold and Queen's Park will now not be funded because of government infrastructure policy that is failing Bedford Borough residents.

Mayor Dave added "I have been in discussions with the ICB how we can move this on, and have also met with developers to see if they costs of building GP surgeries can be reduced. I also wrote to the Conservative Secretary of the State asking them to support the establishment of a Primary Care Capital Funding pot and recurring revenue support to allow increased access to Primary Care in the Borough and the wider Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB. The response was to pass the blame for underfunding our health services to the local ICB saying they already had the money and they needed to prioritise the investment in the primary care estate from local budgets. Frankly, I do not care which bit of the health service the money comes from - we need investment in our health services now!"

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB has 27 fewer GPs than it did in December 2016. The number of patients per GP has grown from 2,304 in December 2016 to 2,720 in December last year. These figures confirm what we already knew: Bedford Borough needs more GPs and we need more GP surgery space so that these GPs can work.

We need the government to invest in GP services and prioritise GP surgery infrastructure to ensure people can get a doctors' appointment when they need one. The Government passing the buck does not help anyone.

Local GPs have told me that we are losing good doctors because they haven't got the space to provide services to relieve pressure on the overall health system.

In a 2019 joint Bedford Borough Council and NHS study it was found that the Borough was 40% underprovided for in terms of GP space. Since then there have been a number of schemes for new facilities planned to be finished, many are yet to see any progress at all.