Two doctors leave after three-year row in Bishop's Castle
A three-year dispute between GPs at a surgery has ended with the overnight exit of two of its resident doctors.
Dr Adrian Penney was back behind his desk at Bishop's Castle Medical Practice yesterday after a deal was struck which saw him buy out his former colleagues Dr Adrian Fairbanks and Dr Sue Lambert.
Dr Fairbanks and Dr Lambert left the surgery with immediate effect after an agreement was reached on Friday night and are now jobless.
Locum doctors are currently being used to serve in their places at the surgery.
A notice appeared in the surgery yesterday morning announcing the change.
The dispute between the three doctors broke out three years ago and Dr Penney has spent just days working at the surgery since.
The reasons for the dispute have never been made public,
In a letter to the Bishop's Castle news blog www.castlenews.co.uk, Dr Lambert said she regretted that patients and staff had not been given more notice but said it was because the agreement had not been signed until Friday evening.
She said neither she nor Dr Fairbanks have got other jobs.
"We have been working too hard to think about other jobs," she said.
"I very much regret not being able to give patients and our staff adequate notice.
"We didn't know ourselves till Friday with any certainty.
"We would like to thank everybody for their support and understanding over a very difficult time."
Bishop's Castle town councillor Evelyn Bowles said it was a "very sad outcome".
"Changes have been dramatic and with no preparatory work with patients for an orderly transition of care," she added.
"This applied when Dr Penney ceased to practice and has now happened again with the immediate effect of the agreement made on Friday evening.
"Given the circumstances and manner of the conduct of the dispute, I feel this was the almost inevitable conclusion.
"It's a very sad outcome since most people I have had contact with about this rate both the doctors we have just lost very highly."
