More than 1,200 residents have signed a petition demanding a dedicated GP surgery in Cambridgeshire new town Northstowe and the issue was also raised on BBC’s Question Time.
South Cambridgeshire Tory MP Anthony Browne launched the petition in response to mounting concerns from the Northstowe community, calling on the district council, Homes England, the Department of Health and all relevant stakeholders to prioritise the establishment of a GP surgery in the new town.
Since then, 1,206 residents have signed, with many noting the strain on existing services in surrounding villages and the challenges for vulnerable individuals such as the elderly and those with mobility issues. Most Northstowe residents are registered at Willlingam GP, due to the lack of facilities locally.
Mr Browne said: “The lack of a GP surgery in Northstowe is not just a planning failure but a threat to the health and wellbeing of the community. It is time that the relevant parties put their heads together and came up with a deliverable solution.
“As an MP, I am very keen to facilitating this dialogue, and I have already approached the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System to kickstart this process. I am committed to supporting all efforts to quickly establish a GP surgery in Northstowe.”
Despite significant investment and promises of development, Northstowe lacks many basic amenities. A temporary community centre was put in place after several schemes failed, and while a sports pavilion has recently opened, there is still no permanent shop, café, pub, or GP surgery in the town.
This issue was raised by resident Roger Valentine on BBC’s Question Time, held in Northstowe on May 2, where he told the audience it could take four weeks to get a GP appointment locally because of the lack of a doctors’ surgery.
Current plans envisage a Civic Hub to include a ‘healthcare space’ in 2028. Council documents make reference to GP services, but there is no specific agreement, vote, or assurance from South Cambridgeshire District Council that this will be a fully equipped GP practice.
Mr Browne said: “Northstowe was promoted as a ‘healthy town, prioritising wellbeing as a core aspect of its ethos and design’.”
But he said: “The absence of a dedicated GP surgery has remained a significant concern.”
In a letter to the Willingham Medical Practice Patient Participation Group which asked for information at the previous Northstowe Community Forum, the district council explained that health services will be delivered within the planned Civic Hub – due in 2028 – and that at the time the second stage of Northstowe was planned, “it was considered by NHS health partners that there would be sufficient capacity for expansion within the Willingham Medical Practice to cope with the first 1,500 occupations, given the under-utilisation of Longstanton branch surgery at that time.”
However, the letter added: “As Phases 1 and 2 were expected to come forward in parallel, the Phase 2 Section 106 was drafted with an expectation that a new practice would be required to deal with occupations beyond this 1,500 homes threshold, across both phases of the development.
“Since the completion of the Phase 2 Section 106 there has been substantial change with respect to two key variables.
“Firstly, Willingham Medical Practice has confirmed it has the potential to accommodate substantially more patients than when the assessment was originally made by the health partners in 2016-17.
“Utilisation of pre-existing buildings is the more efficient and cost-effective option for NHS services. The Integrated Care Board confirms that it will not be before 2028 that an additional facility will be required to accommodate demand arising from Northstowe.
“In addition, whilst there is enough provision in the Willingham/ Longstanton practice, it is not the only registering practice for Northstowe residents and six other practices within the Cambridge Northern Villages Primary Care Network are also able to take on Northstowe residents. This was explained at the January Northstowe Community Forum meeting.
“Secondly, the site of the Civic Hub is not yet at the point of development. Despite this, the timing of the land becoming available will still align well with the new timeframe for delivery, ie 2028, and all partners involved are currently working towards this new programme.”
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System was contacted for comment.
