Labour MP for Hitchin, Alistair Strathern, has met with doctors and staff at the Lower Stondon GP Surgery to find out more about their plans for expansion.

With pressures on the practice from growth in the area, Strathern has called on local stakeholders, including Central Bedfordshire Council and the local Integrated Care Board, to work together to deliver on plans to expand the GP surgery.

With funding and land allocated, the clock is ticking to ensure the expansion can be finalised within the timescales required by section 106 agreements. 

One of Strathern’s five pledges for the new Hitchin constituency is to expand access to healthcare by working with stakeholders to ensure important expansions are delivered.

Alistair Strathern MP said: “For too long our communities in Lower Stondon have suffered without adequate GP provision.

"One of my five priorities for our constituency is making sure we can get a doctor and a dentist when we need it. Key to this is unlocking new capacity.

“I was pleased to meet with doctors and staff from Lower Stondon GP surgery to support their expansion plans which had previously been put on hold due to Covid.

“With land and S106 now allocated, it is crucial that Central Bedfordshire Council and the ICB work together at pace, to ensure this finally gets over the line.”

As the previous MP for Mid Bedfordshire, Alistair brought together a taskforce for a new GP surgery for the town of Wixams, unlocking new funding for the practice.

This forms part of  Labour’s nationwide plan to speed up treatment and ease the pressures in GP surgeries. Including funding the training of 7,500 more doctors a year,  and creating 10,000 extra nursing and midwifery clinical placements a year.

Central Bedfordshire Council has been contacted for comment.