Autumn Budget threatens future of Wiltshire’s GP Surgeries

Chippenham’s Liberal Democrat MP, Sarah Gibson, has spoken out about the threat facing Wiltshire’s GP Surgeries in an important debate on the NHS.

In Tuesday’s debate on the budget’s impact on NHS services, Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham, Sarah Gibson raised urgent concerns on behalf of primary health care providers, including GP surgeries who are going to be hit by the national insurance contribution tax hike and the reduction to the earning’s threshold.

GP surgeries, like other primary healthcare providers such as dental practices, community pharmacies, and care homes, are small businesses. They will have to face the full cost of the budget’s employment changes.   

Speaking at Tuesday’s NHS budget debate, Sarah Gibson said; 

“Labour’s first budget was supposed to be a breath of fresh air for our primary health care. Instead, our GPs, pharmacists, and dentists, feel taken for granted by this budget. 

“The rise in the employers’ National Insurance Contribution and the lowering of the earnings threshold is life threatening for GP practices like Rowden Surgery in Chippenham. They do not have the profit margins to absorb this cost, and they can’t pass costs on to their clients!” 

Sarah Gibson asked for a meeting with the minister, Wes Streeting, to explore options to take this unneeded pressure off local primary care providers, such as making them exempt from the employer’s national insurance contribution rise. 

Speaking after the debate, 

“Without urgent action from this Labour government, GP surgeries like Rowden in Chippenham and The Porch Surgery in Corsham, will have to lose staff, reduce services, or worse, close altogether. 

“One GP has told me they are seriously considering walking away from the profession they love, and I am sure they aren’t alone. 

“As I said in the debate on Tuesday, our area cannot afford to lose one GP, let alone a whole GP practice – but that is the stark choice many GPs are now facing.”