Over 1,000 sign petition against Whitchurch GP surgery closure
More than 1,000 have signed a petition against the closure of a Shropshire doctors' surgery.
Patients at Richmond House Surgery in Whitchurch have been signing both a paper and online petition set up after the practice announced it would have to close its doors on October 31.
Partners at the surgery had warned repeatedly in recent months that they would be forced to close unless they could find new premises.
Now a total of 1,052 people have signed an online petition, with many more signing paper copies around the town.
Commenting on the online petition, Elizabeth Morgan, from Whitchurch, posted: "We should sustain and save good surgeries like this one, especially during an NHS crisis in doctor and nurse shortages.
"A GP surgery is the first point of contact for anyone, to close down one of these precious resources seems absurd, especially when A&E departments are unable to cope with people walking in off the street because they can't get to see a GP."
George Lewer, also from Whitchurch, wrote: "As Whitchurch tax & national insurance paying families, we have paid and earned the right to receive quality medical care in our community, and the government must ensure that our needs for doctors, GP surgeries, hospitals, schools etc, are all satisfied by what ever means are necessary in our growing community.
"If money can be made available many questionable projects, our needs of this surgery should be at the top of the list."
Officials at Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust and Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, along with North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson, have pledged to help residents in the town and support them to have adequate access to GP services.
