Carterton GP branch to close due to lease issues

Bampton Medical Practice runs a branch surgery at Carterton Health Centre - but the lease will run out in February 2026.

A GP surgery has announced it is closing its Carterton branch after it was unable to renew its lease.

Bampton Medical Practice said patients would continue to receive care through its main site in Bampton four miles away.

Bampton rents space at Carterton Health Centre from its owner Burford Surgery, which said it needed to "utilise the whole site for services" and would end the lease in February.

Bampton Medical Practice said: "We remain fully committed to supporting our patients throughout this transition and will keep them informed every step of the way."

Lou Jones from Carterton has regular injections at the branch surgery, as a patient of Bampton Medical Centre, and said she was concerned about the closure.

She said: "I'm worried about getting to Bampton because the buses are only every two hours.

"I find it so much easier with [Carterton Health Centre] because it's only just up the road."

Burford Surgery said that patients with Bampton Medical Centre that use the Carterton branch can continue to do so by registering with them instead.

But Ms Jones said she was worried about the "upheaval" of changing doctors.

Burford Surgery added in a post on Facebook that it had taken the decision not to renew the lease with Bampton Medical Centre due to growing demand.

"Over the past two years, we have experienced a significant 14% growth in our patient list, resulting in increased demand for services," the post said.

"In response, we have already expanded our team by an additional seven members.

"However, to continue delivering high-quality care and meet the growing needs of our patient population at Carterton Health Centre, we now need to further expand our staffing and service capacity.

"To enable this, we will not be renewing the lease for Bampton Surgery and will instead utilise the whole site for services from Burford Surgery."

Bampton Medical Practice said all patients would continue to receive care through its main site in Bampton, and there was no need for them to take any action.

It said: "Bampton Medical Practice is not closing its Carterton branch by choice.

"The lease on the Carterton Health Centre is not being renewed by the building's owner, Burford Surgery, due to their plans to expand services.

"We are working closely with the ICB, local authorities, and community partners to secure an alternative site in Carterton."