Doctor surgeries across Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and Rushden to be given major upgrades as part of £102m Government scheme

Abbey Medical Centre, Albany House, Queensway and Redwell in Wellingborough; Weavers and Eskdail in Kettering; Lakeside in Corby; Harborough Field in Rushden; Spinney Brook in Irthlingborough, as well as Great Oakley and Burton Latimer surgeries are all set to be modernised.

The scheme will see 1,000 surgeries across the country, including 11 in North Northamptonshire, receive funding to create additional space to see more patients, boost productivity and improve patient care.

A major cash injection of £102m will see projects being delivered during the 2025-26 financial year, with the first upgrades expected to begin in summer 2025.

MP for Wellingborough & Rushden, Gen Kitchen, said she was thrilled to see six surgeries in her Wellingborough and Rushden constituency on the list of those selected for an upgrade.

“Constituents regularly tell me about the difficulties they face getting a GP appointment, so I am thrilled that the Labour Government is bringing forward a plan to deliver millions more appointments each year,” she said.

“This funding marks the biggest investment in GP facilities in five years and is only possible because of the difficult but necessary choices made by the Government in the Budget to invest £26 billion into the NHS.”

And Kettering MP Rosie Wrighting said: “I recently wrote to NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board to raise concerns from constituents about access to care at Burton Latimer’s surgery so I am delighted it is among those to be selected for an upgrade, along with Weavers and Eskdaill Medical Centres in Kettering.

“This Labour Government’s investment in local GP surgeries will deliver more appointments and improve patient care, a key step in our plan to build an NHS fit for the future.”

In July 2024, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned Lord Ara Darzi, a surgeon and former health minister, to conduct an immediate and independent investigation of the NHS. His report found that outdated, inefficient buildings create barriers to delivering high-quality patient care and reduce staff productivity.

Lord Darzi said: “My review found that the primary care estate is simply not fit for purpose, with many GP surgeries housed in inflexible, outdated buildings that cannot enable safe, high-quality care. Today’s investment marks a crucial turning point in addressing this long-standing issue, helping create the modern, purpose-built primary care facilities that patients and staff deserve.”

This is the first national capital fund for primary care estates since 2020 and part of a comprehensive package of GP support, alongside recruiting 1,500 additional GPs and reducing bureaucracy.