Numbers of borough GPs ‘below average’

C O N S E RVAT I V E members of the London Assembly are warning that Hillingdon has fewer GPs than the average in England.

The party’s research suggests more than 550 new GPs will be needed in London over the next decade and demand could be more acute in Hillingdon where there are 6.1 doctors for every 10,000 people, compared to 7.6 per 10,000 elsewhere.

GLA members say the Mayor of London, through his planning powers, could force London councils to spend the infrastructure contributions they collect from major developers to fund the capital’s GPs for the next decade.

Andrew Boff, who leads the Conservative group at City Hall, said: “London’s population is growing at an unprecedented rate and we have to be ready to meet this demand.

“It is the right of every Londoner to have access to a GP and I am disappointed to see how few boroughs appear to be setting health provision as a priority for the coming decade.

“Local authorities need to take advantage of the planning process and provide GP surgeries for their borough and I will be urging the Mayor of London, with his planning powers, to ensure this happens.”

The report ‘Health Appreciation – investing in health facilities from new developments’, found many boroughs are failing to prioritise the building of new doctor’s surgeries.