Frequently Asked Questions

The NHS currently provides no upfront capital funding for new GP premises, and hence the significant cost of the building requires long term investment from the BPMP partners, at some personal risk to themselves. There will be a commitment from the partnership that the land and building will have continuing ongoing use for medical purposes for as long as the NHS commits to rent funding of the surgery.

Ownership by the practice partners avoids the difficulties of managing the physical buildings via agents and landlords, which frequently results in costly and delayed refurbishment with a substantial impact on the function of the practice when development or refurbishment is required.

The alternative sites considered included the Fire Station, Library, Cricket Field, Edwinstree School, the Nevetts site as well as other parcels of privately owned land around Buntingford, such as the turning circle on the Redrow estate.

The Nevetts site has been extensively considered as an obvious adjacent location. The site is owned by Hertfordshire County Council and a pre-application submission was made for a mixed-use scheme giving space for a surgery and new sheltered housing to replace existing. This was rejected on the grounds of being too crowded. The proposed plan would allow the provision of a surgery sufficient for current demand, but with no option to expand in the future, and the surgery would ideally require the whole site to meet demand.

Furthermore, there would be a considerable land purchase price for the Nevetts site (likely at residential market value). Current build costs for a new surgery are approximately £2.8 million which, in addition to land acquisition costs, would require capital and interest payments that would be significantly more than the rental income received. The BPMP partners must raise funds for the construction of the new surgery due to the absence of NHS funding, hence this site is not a viable alternative for development.

Of the alternative sites considered, none were found to be viable, suitable or deliverable, nor did they have the space to provide the size of the surgery required.

The land north of Hare Street Road has the space to deliver a new surgery up to twice the size of the existing premises, as well as providing the right infrastructure and access to support existing patient demand. It also has the potential to provide additional ancillary medical services and will allow the potential to extend or renovate at a later date to accommodate anticipated future demand.

Taylor Wimpey and BPMP have an agreement to work together to try to secure planning consent for this mixed-use development. The new Buntingford Surgery will be constructed prior to the first house being built on the land as part of an infrastructure first approach by Taylor Wimpey, and subject to receiving planning permission from EHDC, the new surgery can be built and open in January 2026 prior to the expiry of the existing lease.

The provision of approximately 200 homes helps enable the new surgery to be delivered, through provision of access and utilities that have to be provided to the site, as well as allowing financial viability through reduced land acquisition costs.

If a site cannot be found that will allow for the delivery of a new surgery within the next two years, extending the lease of the current medical facility will be considered. However, the existing Buntingford surgery is already over capacity, and whilst there is some reserve capacity on the Puckeridge site, further population growth south of the practice will soon put pressure on this facility. This would leave the following options:

• Closing to new patient registrations, which has a knock-on impact on services offered to patients

• Reducing the services provided onsite, such as phlebotomy, midwife clinics, vaccinations, and nursing care, but continuing to provide routine and urgent care

• Looking to provide medical services on other sites some distance away. For example, the provision of ongoing routine care for long-term conditions and review at the Buntingford site and urgent and on-the-go access to appointments provided in conjunction with the PCN partner practice, Dolphin House in Ware. This would however require patients to travel some distance.

BPMP partners are committed to the long-term future of the Buntingford site as part of the combined practice, having merged management with it at a time of need, and taken on the Orchard Surgery when several contractors could not keep it running. The Hare Street Road site offers the opportunity to deliver a new surgery within the required time frames and will enable the continuation of medical care delivery in Buntingford that will be safeguarded for future generations.

Approximately 42 members of staff will be employed at the new surgery.

The practice is an accredited training practice for trainee GP’s and student nurses, however, the current facility limits the number of trainees and students it can host. The proposed new premises would therefore enable the practice to extend its capacity as a training centre.