Newly announced government funding making it easier for patients to access modernised GP surgeries has already created space for more than two million potential appointments in the North East and Yorkshire.

Announced today, the Government’s 10 Year Capital Plan will enable GP practices, regionally and nationally, to convert unused rooms into consulting and treatment rooms, modernise buildings and change layouts so GPs and primary care practitioners can see more patients.

Since May 2025, almost 800 individual GP surgery improvement schemes across England have been supported through £102 million of government investment, enabling practices to create space for an estimated nine million extra appointments.

A further £200 million will help more GP practices expand and modernise their facilities, helping patients to get appointments more easily and reduce pressure on hospitals.

More widely, the government’s 10 Year Capital Plan will also be used to rebuild NHS buildings, and replace ageing equipment. Among the GP practices in the North East and Yorkshire which have benefited from investment are

• Coxhoe Medical Practice in Durham. An underused reception area has been converted to make two clinical rooms, creating capacity for an additional 14,200 potential appointments,
• Thorner Surgery in Leeds. A disused first-floor flat was converted into three rooms to create an additional administration area, greater clinical capacity and a dispensary. An additional 6,760 potential appointments have been created,
• Conversion work at two sites managed by Haxby Group in Hull has created four new consultation and treatment rooms, enabling capacity for 26,000 additional potential appointments for patients.

Speaking about their recent conversion project, Karen Phillips, General Manager at Haxby Group in Hull, explained: “Receiving this funding last year made such a significant and lasting difference to our staff and patients.

“Thanks to the four extra rooms the investment made possible, we were able to see so many more patients across our Kingswood and Orchard Park sites – the improvements have helped us to increase the number of appointments we are able to offer.”

Welcoming the improvements made possible through the 10 Year Capital Plan, Dr Faisel Baig, GP and Primary Care Medical Director for NHS North East and Yorkshire (pictured), said: “Funding like this means that more GP surgeries can expand and modernise, helping patients access care more easily, closer to home.

“Across the North East and Yorkshire, this investment has already supported more than 100 practice improvement schemes, creating additional clinical capacity and better facilities for patients and staff. More schemes are planned in the coming years, bringing further benefits to local communities.

“Alongside our neighbourhood health centre programme, these improvements will help shift more care from hospitals into communities, making it easier for people to access joined-up care closer to home.”

Levi Buckley, Deputy Chief Operating Officer for NHS North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Integrated Care Board, added: “We’re delighted to have secured this capital investment for improvement and refurbishment work across our primary care estate in NENC.

“The grant will help us continue to develop the quality of our buildings with general practice colleagues to provide improved access, better environments for patients and staff, and further build clinical capacity so we can shift more care from hospitals to the community.

“One of our previous grant recipients, Coxhoe Medical Practice, was able to use the grant to convert underutilised space within their existing building into two additional clinical rooms and realised this into 14,200 extra appointments for local patients.”

Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said record investment and reforms under the 10 Year Capital Plan would help patients get faster appointments, better facilities, modern technology and more care closer to home.