Campaigners fighting to save a County Durham GP surgery threatened with closure will meet with health officials in their bid to maintain local services.
County councillors Rob Yorke and George Smith have urged residents to attend a public meeting with Auckland Medical Group on April 3 after it announced plans to close its “unsuitable” St Helen Auckland surgery.
Auckland Medical Group said the building is “not fit for purpose” as it does not meet accessibility requirements and is too costly to repair. Corridors and consulting rooms are described as being in poor condition, with accessibility issues throughout the building for paramedic teams.
But residents fear their community is at risk and have warned people would be let down if it closed for good. A petition to save the surgery has been backed by nearly 400 residents and patients recently urged health bosses to keep the facility open by gathering at the site with placards reading 'Save Our Surgery'.
A joint letter signed by the councillors to Auckland Medical Group bosses reads: “It is vital that access to GP services is improved, not reduced. Closing St. Helen Auckland Surgery would deprive the community of essential healthcare services.
“Residents are extremely concerned to learn that they may lose a vital community asset, and if the surgery does close, then this will also have an impact upon St Helen Auckland Pharmacy on Melrose Drive.”
The 4,000 people registered at the current surgery will be told to use alternative sites in Toft Hill and Bishop Auckland.
But Richard Wade, 62, fears for patients like his sister, Wendy, who uses a rollator and will struggle to visit the other sites due to transport and accessibility difficulties, including no direct bus services between St Helen Auckland and Toft Hill. “St Helens is on the doorstep and is adequate for me,” said Wendy.
Councillors Yorke and Smith will also meet NHS officials next week to discuss the proposed closure of the GP surgery. “We’ve heard about their plans and reasons for closing St Helen Auckland surgery and to be frank they don’t cut the mustard,” Cllr Yorke said.
“We are fighting for enhanced services and a GP-led practice, nothing less nothing more. We are hoping they will see sense and change their minds.”
The public meeting will be held at West Auckland Memorial Hall at 6pm on April 3.
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A spokesperson for Auckland Medical Group said: "We have recently launched an engagement exercise to gather views on the proposed closure of the St Helen's Auckland branch of our GP practice.
"The current proposal is to centralise services to our Watling Road Surgery, as well as offering some services from our Toft Hill Surgery.
"Our engagement period started on March 3 and will run until April 30. We have sent a questionnaire to all of our patients, and we encourage them, and other stakeholders, to share their views on this proposal and help inform our decision, so we can continue to provide the highest standard of care for our patients."
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