Edinburgh set to get new GP surgery serving up to 10,000 patients

The area has seen a rising population due to new housing developments.

A growing Edinburgh community is set to get a new GP surgery which would serve up to 10,000 patients.

NHS Lothian is seeking an operator for Maybury Medical Practice, several years after permission was given for a healthcare facility to be built in the area.

It comes amid ongoing development of a new housing estate and primary school, which underscores the need for additional healthcare services in the area. 

A doctor's surgery was proposed along with plans for a new housing estate and a new primary school and was green-lighted in 2021.

The health board has now set out plans for the practice saying the surgery is needed to meet the demand created by population growth.

It follows a "bombshell" alert previously issued highlighting a GP access crisis in Maybury, Shawfair and south-east of the city.

Edinburgh MP Ian Murray welcomed the plans but warned many GPs are still at 'breaking point'.

“The new surgery in Maybury is welcome but so many Edinburgh GPs are still at breaking point after the Scottish Government scrapped capital investment.

“In my constituency alone, over 10,000 residents cannot even register with a GP, let alone get an appointment. NHS Lothian and I had found two new locations for GPs, business cases were put forward, but both were scrapped by Humza Yousaf as Health Secretary.”

“This freeze on new GPs serves nobody, with our hardworking GPs facing burnout and patients being told to stay away from their local practice on certain days. We need a government that will invest in primary care.”

The contract for the Maybury practice is worth £3.7m over five years, around £740k per annum. It is expected that it will start in January 2025.

The contract tender states: "Lothian Health Board placed an advertisement on the Public Contracts Scotland website on 23 February 2024 seeking expressions of interest from any parties interested in providing primary medical services to patients in the Maybury area of Edinburgh.

"This requirement has arisen as a result of population growth and a need to establish a new GP practice. The practice at Maybury Medical Practice, Suite 2, 13 Turnhouse Road, Edinburgh, EH12 0AX has the potential for a list size of 10,000 patients. NHS Lothian wishes to select a new service provider with the capacity and capability to meet the needs of these patients and to grow the practice list by delivering high quality, patient-centred clinical services in a primary care setting."

NHS Lothian has been approached for comment.