More than 250,000 extra GP appointments will be created for patients in Kent as plans to upgrade “neglected” surgeries are revealed.

The £3.2 million scheme is part of a larger government project to modernise practices across the country.

The Department for Health (DoH) has confirmed Hildenborough Medical Centre, near Tonbridge, and the Memorial Medical Centre in Sittingbourne made the list in its announcements earlier this week.

It will fund the reconfiguration and refurbishment of a “large area” of the Memorial, in the grounds of Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital, which will create additional clinical rooms and administrative space.

Meanwhile, at Hildenborough Medical Centre, the existing waiting room will be transformed into two new clinical rooms and an improved waiting area.

The Kent projects are part of the biggest cash injection into GP facilities for five years, which will see £102million being spent on 1,000 practices across the country.

The health department says it will “create additional space to see more patients, boost productivity and improve patient care, following years of neglect”.

A spokesman for the Department added: “Right now, many GP surgeries could be seeing more patients, but don’t have enough room or the right facilities to accommodate them.

“From creating new consultation and treatment rooms to making better use of existing space, these quick fixes will help patients across the country be seen faster.”

It comes just days on from the government confirming 85 new GPs have started working in Kent and Medway since last August.

Read more: The best and worst doctor surgeries for patient-to-GP ratios have been revealed

One top GP told KentOnline the recruitment drive was not enough to end the battles to get an appointment, however.

But Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, says these are elements in the “long road” to fix the health service.

He said: “These are simple fixes for our GP surgeries, but for too long they were left to ruin, allowing waiting lists to build and stopping doctors from treating more patients.

“It is only because of the necessary decisions we took in the Budget that we are able to invest in GP surgeries, start tackling the 8am scramble and deliver better services for patients.

“The extra investment and reform this government is making, as part of its Plan for Change, will transform our NHS so it can once again be there for you when you need it.”

The news will be welcomed by thousands of patients in Teynham and Lynsted who are set to have more appointments made available at the Memorial Medical Centre.

The villages between Sittingbourne and Faversham do not have a GP after its patients were moved to the centre in Bell Road almost three years ago.

In October, residents told KentOnline about their issues getting appointments, with one grandmother saying she had not seen the doctor since it left London Road.

But, Swale councillor Julien Speed (Con), pointed out that while access to their doctor will be easier for around 3,000 villagers, the main issue of travelling to the practice will remain difficult.

“It is brilliant that the memorial is one of the facilities that will be upgraded, but I would much prefer a GP in Teynham”, he said.

“[The upgrades] do not make it any easier to go for an appointment. It is a long way from Sittingbourne train station, the bus services and even if you drive, the car parking is terrible.

“If you can’t get there, you aren’t going to get an appointment, so it does not solve the problem.”