Local MP supports new surgery site for Battle GP practice

Kieran met with GP Partners, Dr Richard Clarke and Dr Candia Brace, to discuss local primary healthcare and the challenges of operating a GP practice serving 8,500 patients from an historic building on Battle High Street.

NHS England standards now require a minimum amount of consultation rooms to deliver a wide range of patient services in the community. In order to grow and meet these demands, the GP surgery needs to relocated to alternative local premises.

The GP practice would also like to be able to train the next generation of local GPs but cannot do so from the current premises.

Dr Clarke and Dr Brace explained to the MP that there are many challenges in finding alternative locations – a key one being funding. Kieran committed to helping the GP practice with their aim of finding a suitable new location by raising with other local stakeholders and NHS Sussex, the local Integrated Care Board.

Kieran said “It is becoming clear to me that many of our local GP surgeries need better premises to deliver the expanding list primary care services which NHS England is asking them to provide and which they want to provide.

"This comes at a cost so there must be a commitment from government to support the provision of new GP surgeries over and above the existing arrangements.

"I will be writing to the Health Secretary to raise this with him and will also be holding discussions with local stakeholders about potential new surgery sites for Martins Oak surgery and how they can be funded.”