Gosport GP surgery to remain open - for now
The closure will affect 5,000 patients
A Gosport doctor’s surgery will – for now – remain open following an extension of the GP partner’s retirement notice period.
It was previously reported that The Integrated Care Board for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (ICB) would close the small Bury Road Surgery following the resignation of the GP partner, Dr Carl Anandan.
Now, the notice period for Dr Anandan’s resignation has been extended until June 30 meaning all services will continue as normal until then.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport welcomed the news stating she has met with the ICB ‘regularly’ to ‘avoid the closure of the practice’.
She said: ‘Constituents have rightly been concerned about the adequacy of local GP services which the proposed closure should have made even more acute. This extension gives hope that there may be a way to keep the surgery open.
‘I know that the team at Bury Road Surgery and Hampshire & Isle of Wight ICB are working really hard to avoid the closure.’
However, councillor Peter Chegwyn, leader of Gosport Borough Council said the extension has ‘nothing to do’ with Ms Dinenage.
‘It’s got a lot to do with the council though because we’ve spent quite a bit of time lobbying the ICB,’ he said.
‘I very much welcome the extension, the council has spent a lot of time and effort in persuading the ICB to think again.
‘It gives an important breathing space because there are around 5,000 patients who’ve all been very worried about what the future holds – there just isn’t spare capacity at other surgeries in Gosport.
‘It makes much more sense to keep the surgery open so patients can continue to receive the same service that they always have – I speak both as council leader and a patient there myself.’
Keeley Ellis, locality director (Primary Care) for the ICB said: ‘This valuable extension will allow us more time to further consider all of the available options for the ongoing provision for Bury Road Surgery patients.
‘May we sincerely thank all patients who completed the survey and attended either the virtual or face-to-face drop-in events last month.
‘We truly thank you for your ongoing patience in relation to this matter.’
The ICB will continue to update patients on the next steps in May.