WORRIED residents have demanded a new health centre.
The rising number of homes in the region risks putting "unprecedented" pressure on Oxted Health Centre, residents have warned.
Perturbed patients have now called for another health centre to be opened in Hurst Green urgently, saying doctors are "up against it" at the current surgery in Gresham Road.
The plea comes after a planning application was made to build up to 145 homes off Chichele Road, which campaigners say would put ever more pressure on a medical system already being stretched to the limit.
Patient Barbara Harling, of Chestnut Copse, said: "The doctors are under so much pressure, but more homes can only mean unprecedented pressure on them.
"The only way I can see the situation getting better is if another surgery is built in Hurst Green. That might take away some of the issues."
Other patients said they had to wait weeks for an appointment and sometimes were not able to see their own GP.
Annabelle Adams, 56, of Gresham Road, said she had recently moved to a private practice because of the waiting times.
She said: "I have had to wait three weeks for an appointment and I can only think that it is going to get worse so that's why I changed.
"Oxted is a nice place to live and so I can see why more homes are needed in the village, because more people want to live here.
"But it is just a matter of time before people struggle to get an appointment at all or have to wait months.
Valerie Mullins, 82, of Station Road East, added that trying to get an appointment was "horrible".
Each full-time doctor at the surgery cares for up to 2,008 patients each. The NHS average is 1,600 per doctor, and the surgery deals with 2,000 appointments a week, from a total list of 16,700 patients.
Josh Cosnett OBE, of Peter Avenue, said: "A week ago on Friday I phoned up the health centre because I was in a bad way and could not breath and they said I should go down to the health centre at 4.30pm that day.
"But moments later they called me back and said I should go to A&E. I was in hospital for the whole weekend.
"A new health centre in Hurst Green would solve a lot of issues. We need something to happen."
Ian Skipper, acting practice manager at the surgery, said: "We are a busy surgery and we are doing the best we can to see patients as quickly as possible."
A spokesman for the health centre added any new surgery would need to accommodate two doctors and a nurse and would likely be based near the Windmill Manor Nursing Home.
