PATIENTS of a medical practice that is due to close next month have been assured by the NHS that they will not be left without a family doctor.
Albert Street Medical Practice and its branch surgery in Brownsover – which between them treat over 6,000 patients – will close on April 17 due to what NHS England described as ‘irreconcilable differences between the current GP partners’.
Patients only found out last week that the surgery’s contract with the NHS would come to an end, despite the practice serving notice back in November.
However, the NHS has appointed Beech Tree and Market Quarters Medical Practices as caretaker providers to run the Albert Street surgery’s GP services from premises at 2A Lower Hillmorton Road.
The caretaker service will run until a new medical centre is built in Brownsover – currently scheduled to open in the summer of 2016.
Sue Price, Director of Commissioning for NHS England in the West Midlands, said: “A letter has been sent out to all patients outlining the options available to them so they can continue to receive good quality primary care services from a local GP surgery.
“In the meantime, if patients need medical attention they are advised to contact the surgery as normal.
“We are sorry for any disruption this change will cause and would like to reassure patients that no one will be left without a GP surgery as a result of these changes.”
She added that transport would be provided for patients of the Brownsover branch visiting the caretaker surgery.
MP Mark Pawsey held urgent talks with NHS England after learning of the closure.
He said: “I was aware that discussions have been taking place for some time regarding the future of the practices. I was led to believe that these discussions would successfully resolve the situation and ensure the continuation of the present services.
“All Rugby residents deserve high quality primary health care services from a local GP surgery and I reiterated this in the strongest terms when I met with representatives from NHS England. I raised serious concerns over the level of engagement with patients by NHS England and would urge any of my constituents with concerns to attend the planned drop in meetings or to contact me.
“It is imperative that work now begins on the long awaited new medical centre in Brownsover”
A spokeswoman for NHS England added that it was fully committed to the new Brownsover surgery.
She said: “We will be engaging with patients when we undertake a full procurement exercise for a permanent GP provider to be based in the new building later this year.
“We have arranged several open meetings which patients are invited to attend. This will provide people with an opportunity to meet staff from NHS England and the caretaker GP practice, find out more about what’s happening and ask questions.”
Open meetings take place on Monday (March 9) from 4.30-6pm and Friday March 13 from 12-1.30pm at Boughton Leigh Primary School, and on Sunday March 29 from 12-2pm at The Harvest Centre, 35/37 Albert Street.
Alternatively patients can send their views to [email protected].
