South Devon MP Caroline Voaden is backing a campaign to guarantee GP investment in new developments.

It comes as Liberal Democrat analysis shows that 1300 surgeries have closed between 2015 and 2025 across the country.

Further analysis of the data suggests that the average GP surgery in the South Hams serves an additional 4,827 homes since 2015, an increase of approximately 20%.

The party’s latest campaign wants new or expanded GP surgeries to be up and running in areas of new development as soon as the first homes are sold.

This is part of their proposed infrastructure-first approach to development and supports their campaign to rescue General Practice, ensuring everyone can get an appointment within 7 days or 24 hours if urgent.

Developers in South Devon would be required to not only fund new facilities but also guarantee the GP surgery contract (or the cost of salaried GPs) while new residents are still moving in.

According to the Lib Dems, this would “ensure” new residents are not reliant on already over-stretched existing GPs.

Ms Voaden said: "Every time a new housing development springs up, the demand for overstretched GP surgeries increases even further. We've seen this at Inglewood, in Totnes and Dartington, and with new developments on the horizon in Brixham, it will happen there too.”

Effective delivery of health services has been found to be integral to public trust.

Recent research findings from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) found that in locations where GP provision has declined, and more surgeries have closed, support for the extreme right has risen.

“This is why I'm backing a new Liberal Democrat campaign,” said Ms Voaden, “to ensure new or expanded GP surgeries are up and running in areas of new development as soon as the first homes are sold.

“We simply cannot push more house building without the infrastructure communities need. It is a failed approach that has left our health systems in crisis.”