By Bridie Adams

HEREFORDSHIRE'S GP federation has confirmed that there will be no new GP surgery in Ross-on-Wye, even though the town’s population is growing.

The new St Mary’s Garden Village housing development is one of the main areas of population growth, as it will have brought a total of 348 homes to Ross by the time it is complete.

Although the council is considering a new school provision to support this anticipated population growth, Taurus Healthcare has confirmed there are no such plans to introduce a new GP surgery.

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The town’s population has grown by 396 since 2011, bringing the estimated number of people to 10,978.

“The population growth is being absorbed by Alton Street, Pendeen and Fownhope surgeries,” said Su Suehr, a Taurus manager for South and West Herefordshire.

Hereford Times:

A total of 14,961 appointments were made at these surgeries in February. Waiting times for appointments at these surgeries can vary from same-day to over 28 days. In February (the latest full month of data available) 7,210 patients managed to book same-day appointments, but 326 were left waiting over a month to be seen.

There are also nearby surgeries in Hereford, Leominster, Kington and Ledbury, but these are out of the catchment area for Ross. Meanwhile, the Wye Valley NHS trust provides hospital care and community services to around 220,000 in Herefordshire and Powys.