NHS refuses overcrowded GP surgery cash to expand in Milton Keynes

A busy GP surgery has been refused the money to build a much needed extension to cater for its growing list of patients.

MK City Council has offered the land and support for Olney’s Cobbs Garden Surgery to expand.

But the practice’s request has been refused local NHS bosses – because they say they do not have the money available.

Meanwhile the surgery has been forced to close its list to new patients because it cannot fit any more in.

Chiefs from the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (ICB), which controls local NHS funding, have written to the surgery in Olney to refuse permission to access funding to submit a planning application to expand.

They said they do not have the capital available, despite the fact that the whole of the ICB area has been allocated under £2m to improve NHS facilities.

Labour-led Milton Keynes City Council has this week slammed their decision and offered to help out. They’ve vowed to support the surgery in progressing a planning permission and will seek to release funding to the GP surgery to advance their plans, as well as continuing to push for funding to build the new facility the community needs.

Council leader Pete Marland said: “Yet again Olney has been let down by the Conservatives. A Labour-led city council has offeredfunding and land to support the expansion to create much needed extra GP capacity in the town, but the surgery has been refused permission to even access funding to submit a planning application because the government haven’t provided the local ICB with anywhere near the level of funding required for health infrastructure in the fastest growing region in the country.”

Cllr Debbie Whitworth, MK City Councillor for Olney ward said: “The news that another bid to move the expansion of Cobbs Garden GP Surgery forward has been rejected is a Conservative kick in the teeth for Olney. Local residents are fed up that the local GP surgery is full and they can’t get an appointment.

"It’s a double hit on the town because the recent housing built in the area was due to the government allowing it permissions on appeal because the last Conservative local plan was so defective. I’ll keep fighting to get the GP surgery extended.”

The full letter from The Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board to Cobbs Garden GP Surgery stated: “We considered your request to support Cobbs Garden practice with accessing S106 funding for submitting a planning application for your proposed relocation project at our Primary Care Delivery Group meeting this week.

“The Group did not feel able to support your request at this stage. Given that there is no source or roadmap identified for funding the relocation project, the Group had concerns that this approach would raise expectations with patients and stakeholders about the feasibility of the project, and that there was little to be gained by applying for time-limited planning permission at this stage. Milton Keynes City Council have confirmed that the site will remain available for this potential project for at least another three years.”