Teynham has been without a GP Surgery for nearly two years, forcing people to travel to Sittingbourne or Faversham to see a doctor. I’m working with local councillors Julian Speed and Lloyd Bowen and GP Dr Nilan to find a way to get Teynham back its GP.
After Dr Kumar retired in 2022, Teynham Surgery relocated to the Memorial Hospital in Sittingbourne when Dr Nilan took over. Dr Nilan has worked hard to provide blood and diabetes checks at a temporary site in Teynham for residents that can’t travel to Sittingbourne, but many older people are still struggling to access services.
We met with NHS Kent & Medway and Swale Borough Council to discuss the challenge, particularly the options for a suitable site for the surgery. The good news is that Dr Nilan is fully committed to coming back, we just need to make sure there’s the right sort of facility for a modern GP surgery in the right place.
In the meantime, the local Green Street Pharmacy has signed up for Pharmacy First - which means people will be able to get prescriptions for several conditions directly from the pharmacy. That means fewer trips to the doctor and more healthcare close to home for Teynham, Lynsted and nearby villages.
The government will invest up to £645 million over the next 2 years so pharmacists can supply prescription-only medicines for common conditions like ear pain, UTIs and sore throats without requiring a prescription from a GP. This means better healthcare for villages like Teynham and Lynsted that are currently without a GP Surgery. If you want to read more about Pharmacy First you can find out more information here.
