The pre-budget report, released on Monday, includes a pledge to spend '£100m to advance the upgrading of up to 600 GP surgeries to training'.
That works out to nearly £170,000 per practice - enough to fund a substantial extension.
The report adds that the money will be targeted on under-doctored areas.
GPC sources cautiously welcomed the money, but said that the committee had not been consulted on the plan.
Dr Peter Holden, who speaks for the GPC on premises issues, also questioned whether it would be additional funding.
'Nobody's going to say no to new money,' he said. 'If it's recycled old money it's just Labour up to its old tricks.'
He added that getting premises up to scratch required a steady stream of reliable funding rather than unpredictable bursts of government generosity. The profession's best hope is that ‘banks are beginning to realise that GPs are a better bet than small companies', he said.
- Editor's blog: What will Darling's pre-Budget mean for primary care?
- For the full story see this week's GP newspaper dated 28 November.
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