LETTER: GP pressures will get worse

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Further to the County Times '˜Behind the Headlines' of January 19, is it not time for the West Sussex and Horsham councils to stop burying their heads in the sand?

The pressure on GP Surgeries is nothing new and it does not need a degree or even a GCSE to realise that, if thousands more houses are built, the situation is going to get much worse.

To say that there is spare capacity and that any overload is only temporary is naive. Face the facts. People are waiting two to three weeks for an appointment. The fruit has been squeezed until the pips squeak.

GPs are retiring early because of the pressure and newly qualified doctors are not there to take their places. The situation is exacerbated by the ageing population and this too must be taken into account.

For Horsham councillors to to say that they have been pressing for Broadbridge Heath to have its own surgery but that funding is not available, shows their lack of planning ability.

If we cannot afford all the infrastructure, including schools and transport as well as GPs and hospitals, we cannot afford the homes. To make reassuring promises about these facilities when planning permission is granted is deceitful when new homes are occupied and still no sign of health or education provision.

It is to be hoped that the proposed increased use of Horsham Hospital comes to fruition but that will aggravate the transport problem – and particularly the parking.