Surgery extension given go ahead after four-year delay

A two-storey extension will be built on the existing premises

A Somerset GP surgery will finally be able to expand four years after NHS bosses confirmed the need for new provisions in the local area.

Langport Surgery, on the A378 North Street, has been waiting for approval on a two-storey extension to accommodate more patients and staff.

It was one of 14 GP surgeries singled out by the NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in September 2020 as needing to either expand or relocate to cope with significant housing growth in their areas.

Somerset Council has now given them the green light to proceed.

The medical centre has approximately 14,000 patients on its books

Construction work is expected to begin within a matter of months

Since 2020, NHS Somerset has been working on temporary solutions to provide additional capacity at surgeries until more permanent solutions could be found.

This includes the ongoing use of portable buildings at Bruton Surgery until a new medical centre can be delivered as part of a planned housing development.

The Langport Surgery team applied in May to build an extension onto their existing premises, which will allow more patients to be seen and additional practice staff to be recruited.

It currently has a list of around 14,000 patients, with NHS England deeming it should expand its existing premises by one third to meet national standards.

Under the agreed plans, a two-storey extension will be constructed on the western wing of the existing building, at a loss of three existing car parking spaces.

The new extension will include a meeting room for staff training, a telephone consultation space and a range of consultation rooms.

'Increased productivity'

A spokesman for Orme Architecture, who is representing the surgery, said the extra space would ensure medical staff could provide "the best possible service".

“Space will be provided to allow increased clinical services to include a pharmacist, mental health and health coaching appointments, increased GP and nursing capacity to meet the demand of the growing population.

“It will lead to increased productivity for GPs who currently have to work from home to free up clinical room space, as often the connection to the clinical system is poor when accessing remotely, meaning less work can be done."

The NHS Somerset integrated care board (ICB) has welcomed the decision, but declined to state exactly when construction would start.