Alongside Cllr Steve Heyes and the newly-elected Cllr Jake Chandler, I was pleased to cut the ribbon for the eagerly anticipated Tadpole Garden Village GP Surgery this week. On the northern edge of the town, in the newly developed Tadpole Garden Village, the new GP surgery will open its doors on Monday 16th May following a year-long construction project.
The new practice already has 4000 new patients signed up but has space for up to 8,500 patients who live across Tadpole Garden Village, St Andrews Ridge and Abbey Farm. The new GP surgery will offer a more local GP service to people living in one of the fastest growing areas of Swindon. There will be 11 clinicians and 8 administrative staff based on site, joining the other four existing surgeries in the Westrop Medical Practice group.
This is a huge boost for the local community, and I am pleased to have worked closely with the team throughout the process to make sure this fantastic new facility has been delivered. Securing additional capacity and wider health services will be very much welcomed by fellow local residents, and I wish the new team the best for their opening. More information about Tadpole Surgery, as well as details of how to register as a patient, can be found online at www.westropmedicalpractice.nhs.uk.
I was also pleased to see the Government’s announcement this week that it had reached its goal to get a million more disabled people in work by 2027. As a former Disability Minister, this is an area I have a key interest in.
In 2017, the Government outlined a 10-year employment goal to break down barriers for disabled people and those with health conditions, and to build more diverse and inclusive workforces. The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show the number of disabled people in employment has increased by 1.3 million since 2017 – meaning the Government has achieved its target five years earlier than promised.
In my previous role as Minister for Disabled People, I led the DWP’s work to support more people with disabilities into employment and revived the Government’s Disability Confident scheme – which helps employers create more accessible and diverse workforces by championing inclusive recruitment and crucially retainment practices.
The Disability Confident Scheme has gone from strength to strength and now includes 20,000 employers and covers 11 million paid employees. More locally, I have worked to support people with disabilities in Swindon find employment opportunities through initiatives such as the a ‘Reverse Job Fair’ – which invited potential employers to meet with local charities and organisations to link up. This is a win, win – with skills gaps filled and opportunities created for those seeking work.
Finally, a number of community groups have used my office space for their events over the last few weeks. One highlight was the Cornerstone Church, who hosted their Create and Connect Art Café. This is a new project being run by the church, using a wide variety of arts and crafts to bring people together to chat and support each other. Other groups to have used the office space over the last few weeks include Wiltshire Girlguiding, the Care Home Volunteers, and the Sepsis Trust. We also have a booking coming up with the Swindon Trauma Group. If you are a community group who would like to use my office space, please get in contact via justin.tomlinsonm.mp@parliament.uk.
