MILLIONS of pounds have been pledged to ensure Braintree and Witham will each get two new GP surgeries.

Braintree Council wants to use part of a £28 million investment programme to help fund new surgeries for St Lawrence Surgery in Bocking End and Mount Chambers Surgery in Coggeshall Road, Braintree.

Sites at the Henry Boot redevelopment site at Braintree bus park in Victoria Street and at Braintree College have been earmarked, but have yet to get off the ground.

Graham Butland, leader of Braintree Council, said £3 million from the sale of Bramston Leisure Centre would go towards two new Witham GP surgeries, potentially in the Newland Centre and Maltings Lane. Lidl and a retirement home are set to be built on the Bridge Street site.

Mr Butland said: “A lot of people are saying that with more homes being built infrastructure is needed, and we are trying to do something about it.

“As we know NHS capital is very tight and we know the days of doctors buying their own surgeries are no longer around.

"GPs want to lease facilities, and we are trying to unlock that ability, using money and capital to lease buildings to GPs so tax payers get a return on investment and benefit from getting community facilities which are very much needed.”

The news was welcomed by surgery managers.

St Lawrence Surgery practice manager Alison Rudkin welcomed the plans and said it was excellent news that investment was being put into primary care.

Peter Hadfield, practice manager at Mount Chambers Surgery, said: “We are absolutely delighted as the development slightly stalled in the previous months but this investment gives it the green light to go ahead.

“It will provide us with modern, state of the art facilities in the heart of Braintree. We need more space to accommodate the growth in patients and this site will give us that. It will be three times the size of our current surgery and we will be able to avoid sending people to hospital in Chelmsford.”

Dr Nagalingam Chandralingam of the Collingwood surgery in Witham said he was sceptical about what the council could offer.

He said: “We are having a meeting with Witham MP Priti Patel in July to discuss services as we are not sure how the ideas will materialise. It wouldn’t be my choice or my patients choice for GPs to work together but we will have to see what the council plans and see if there are any problems.”

Dr Tom Nutt, CEO of Healthwatch Essex, said patients across the county faced issues trying to get an appointment.

He said: “It’s vital those people responsible for designing and delivering health services consider the lived experiences of patients when making decisions around changes and improvements.

“Many of the common issues we discover in relation to GP surgeries will probably be familiar to many people – problems such as getting timely appointments, registering with a practice, surgeries moving or closing and incomplete medical records.

“There is a keen focus on ensuring that the pressure on acute services, such as those in hospitals, are relieved by community services, and it is therefore important that the future of health care services as a whole are considered as part of this major programme of change.”

Carol Anderson, acting accountable officer for Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, praised the council for trying to make a change.

She said: “We welcome this investment from Braintree District Council and have, together, been developing our approach to local services for health and care.

“We want everyone to live well and stay healthy throughout life and this collaborative approach will enable us to support each other to make real change for people in Braintree District.”