THE MP for North Cornwall has intervened to try and get the required investment for a long-awaited new GP surgery in Bodmin.

Ben Maguire has called for urgent investment to be provided for a new GP building in the town.

Plans for a new building on the outskirts of the town, opposite Cornwall Council’s Chy Trevail offices were unveiled as part of a merger plan between Stillmoor House Surgery and Carnewater Surgery, now known as Bosvena Health, in 2022. It had been anticipated that it would be constructed by 2024, however, construction has not yet begun.

It is understood that this is, at least in part, due to issues with the finalising of an agreement to finance the construction of the building.

The MP, whose father was once a lead partner at Stillmoor House medical practice, highlighted that the only GP surgery currently in the town, operated by Bosvena Health, is running at 150 per cent capacity, with staff struggling to meet the growing demand for appointments.

In his letter to the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB), he urged them to step in and break the current stalemate over negotiations for a new GP facility, stressing that with over 3,000 new houses set to be built in Bodmin before 2030, pressure on services will only get worse.

Mr Maguire said: “This issue has dragged on for far too long, and I am contacted almost daily by residents struggling to access GP services. Both doctors and patients are understandably frustrated with the delays, and investment in a new building must happen now before the situation worsens.

“Having spoken to Bosevna Health, I am fully committed to keeping up the pressure on local health authorities to make sure that Bodmin gets the healthcare infrastructure it desperately needs.”