Whitchurch doctors' surgery closure sparks warning over patient care

Richmond House Surgery in Whitchurch will shut in October when the lease on its Station Road home runs out.

The announcement has sparked fears that two other medical practices in the town – Bridgewater and Dodington – will not be able to cope with the increase in demand. The three practices currently cater for about 13,000 patients between them, but partners at Bridgewater and Dodington surgeries have claimed they cannot take on "additional patient numbers of the magnitude involved".

It had been hoped Richmond House would merge with Bridgewater Medical Practice to form a GP hub at the town's community hospital in Claypit Street. But the project – which had received a £2 million grant from the Government – has not progressed quickly enough for the move to be made later this year.

Partners at Richmond House had made repeated warnings in recent months that they would be forced to close unless they could find new premises.

A statement from GP partners Dr Martin Sullivan, Dr Louise Rodge, and Dr Jane Gray says: "It is with deep regret that Richmond House Surgery has sent a letter of resignation to NHS England. The surgery will close on October 31.

"The lack of premises was foreseeable and could have been resolved. For four years Richmond House surgery has made the local, regional and national NHS aware of the need for new premises.

We would like the patients to know we have invested great efforts to find a solution and this closure will come at great expense to us personally and our staff. We recognise the inconvenience and risk to all our patients this will cause. We recognise the stress this will cause to the remaining GP surgeries.

"We are sorry that it has come to an end, but we have no choices left."

A statement from Bridgewater Family Medical Practice and Dodington Surgery says: "Bridgewater Family Medical Practice and Dodington Surgery GPs are concerned as to where current Richmond House Surgery patients will access GP services after October 2016.

"Neither Bridgewater Family Medical Practice nor Dodington Surgery have sufficient space or staff to accommodate additional patient numbers of the magnitude involved. In order to expand, both practices would need extensive support, perhaps in the form of temporary portacabin facilities and certainly in the form of support to increase staffing numbers."

Andy Rogers, spokesman for Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust, said: "We are always happy to support new ways of working more closely with our GP colleagues and to make the best use of our facilities, and will consider any viable options to do so."

Richard Caddy, spokesman for Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "The CCG is fully committed to supporting the practices."