GP Surgeries and Pharmacies are under immense pressure – especially those in rural areas such as Mid Norfolk.

Staff at these vital local facilities work incredibly hard, as I saw on Friday when I visited Mattishall Surgery and Pharmacy. They are currently dealing with the knock-on effects of the pandemic backlog, meaning that people require GP care for longer whilst they wait for surgery, as well as national trends such as a growing and ageing population.

We must ensure that these dedicated staff, who work incredibly hard to ensure that we are all safe and well, receive the support they need – including ensuring that surgeries are properly compensated for the costs that come with serving a rural area, making sure that they are able to recruit staff (which is why I am pleased that the Government continues to offer bonuses of £20,000 to trainee GP’s who choose practices in areas struggling with recruitment), and seeing that they have proper facilities which enable them to care for their patients.

That is why, in conjunction with the practice leadership at Mattishall, I am exploring what action can be taken to try and bring about progress towards a new premises for the surgery and pharmacy – one that would better enable staff to provide the first-class services that patients need and deserve.

The team at the surgery continue to offer innovative solutions – whether that be a dispensing robot, or a 24 hour self-serve prescription collection point. That being said, it is clear from my visit that their building has reached the end of its useful life. A new, larger building would enable the practice to make sure that the team can get ahead of the curve on the health needs and population growth of the area for years to come – rather than trying to play catch-up as they have too often been made to do.

You can see more on my visit in the video below.