[dairylee]

The infrastructure is often insufficient for existing homes nevermind for any expansion.

I've recently moved house but I'm having to stay registered to my Dentist & Doctors 30 miles away because the wait list to get registered in my new town is months.

[muteor]

They just built over 1000 homes near me, but not one dentist or doctors. Now the small local surgeries are expected to take these new households on. Again government policy not holding up to community needs.

[88]

The average fully-qualified GP has something like 2,300 patients registered to them.

If you assume 2.5 people per household for those new homes, their needs would be met by the addition of a single GP to an existing surgery.

Then consider that the typical buyers of new builds will be younger and healthier than average.

And that of those ~2,500 new residents, some are likely to be doctors themselves who would otherwise be unable to live in the area.

And that GP surgeries are private for-profit businesses.

And you realise the issues are more complex than they might at first seem.

[dumpsterdiver]

To be fair, you can't "build" a dentist or a doctor like you can a home. First the homes come, then the residents move in. Those residents will have demands, such as health and dental care. Once those demands are heard, the doctors and dentists will finally build their offices.

[desas]

There's a shortage of GPs. Two of the small local surgeries near me have reduced opening times because they don't have the staff to staff them. The need is still there - the villages are growing, but the villagers have to travel to the next village if they're lucky enough to be able to get an appointment.

[nindalf]

Doctor only 30 miles away? Luxury!

It’s unrealistic for me to get treatment from a GP in my area so I simply travel thousands of miles away to another country once a year for treatment.

Thousands more homes being built as well, so this isn’t changing any time soon.

[quickthrower2]

Travelling to another country for treatment sounds like the luxury to be honest. The unluxury would be no health care, or travelling 100 miles within the UK by train/bus.