Replacement GP service found in Whitchurch

The Shropshire GP co-operative Shropdoc has agreed to run the new GP surgery in Whitchurch, which will take on the nearly 4,000 patients from the soon-to-close Richmond House practice.

It will operate from the Beech Ward at the town's community hospital for 18 months from November 1 and will be known as the Claypit Street Medical Practice.

It comes after previous moves to find a private provider to run the service collapsed.

The uncertainty of where the patients would end up after the Richmond House surgery closes on October 31 has caused outrage in the town.

Dr Julian Povey, chairman of Shropshire CCG, said: "I appreciate this has been an unsettling time for local patients, as we have tried to secure a safe and suitable GP service for local patients.

"I hope Shropdoc's status as a trusted provider, coupled with the location of the surgery which is in a convenient, central location, will go some way to addressing any concerns they may have.

"Our main focus at this time is to make sure there is a smooth handover of this service and that patients continue to receive the care they need."

Ian Winstanley, chief executive of Shropdoc, said: "We are delighted to be able to deliver a service to patients.

"Our aim is to ensure that a GP service is available to the 3,800 patients currently registered at Richmond House and that local people continue to receive excellent standards of care. This will ensure continued services for patients and an opportunity to improve and expand upon what is already offered."

GPs at Richmond House have welcomed the news and have thanked patients for their support.

In a statement, they said: "The doctors at Richmond House Surgery are pleased that a solution has at last been found to provide quality medical care for our patient list. It has been a very difficult time for all involved and we have been touched by the warmth of feeling demonstrated towards ourselves by the patients and people of Whitchurch.

"Shropdoc is well respected locally, and we are confident that they will care for our patients with the same standards that we have sought to provide over the years.

"We will work closely with them in the next few weeks to ensure as seamless a transition as possible for our staff and patients."

North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson, who has been in regular talks with health bosses, said: "I think it is a pretty good solution. Shropdoc is widely respected across Shropshire and provides a very good service."