Our taxi driver, who has been talking non-stop during the seven-mile drive from Wigan to Leigh, is stunned into silence when we pull up outside Foxleigh surgery. He looks from the building down to his map, but the sign above the door, though faded to a sickly green, clearly reads "Dr S Fox" The surgery is no bigger than a large site toilet and not much sturdier; in fact, the building resembles a grey oblong Wendy-house. It is surrounded by empty bottles of Vodka Ice, flattened Ribena cartons and cigarette packets. Viewed from another angle, it's a persuasive example of how a government initiative is failing to improve healthcare premises. Dr Stephen Fox has been practising medicine out of this temporary building for almost 11 years. When he and his staff moved into "the shed" in 1995, he was told new premises would be available in 18 months. "We've heard every excuse under the sun," he says. 'The primary care trust has such a tight budget that things keep being pushed back and back."
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