Patients' concerns over sudden surgery closure

Spilsby Surgery was closed on Monday after it was removed from the Care Quality Commission register

Patients say elderly people will "really struggle" after the sudden closure of a GP surgery.

Spilsby Surgery, which has 7,455 patients, was closed "with immediate effect" after the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) announced the current GP partners would no longer be providing care.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it removed the surgery's partnership from its register on 15 September after partners left "without proper notification".

Lincolnshire and District Medical Services, which provides primary and secondary care, has provisionally taken over the care of patients, the ICB said.

On Monday, several patients arrived at the surgery for appointments and prescriptions, only to be met with a vacant building and a sign on the door.

Angela Maddison said she never thought the surgery would close

Mark Dorrans, 57, said: "I wasn't expecting it to close but here we are, so what do we do now?

"The older people are going to really struggle because they haven't got mobile phones and can't download the NHS app."

Angela Maddison, 46, also voiced concerns as she watched someone walk away from the front door.

"It's the people that haven't got Facebook and mobile phones that are going to struggle," she said.

"People say it's in a mess but you don't think it's going to be shut."

Tony Mccullam, 87, had turned up for a review of his tablets, but said he was left feeling "a bit bewildered".

His wife, Monica, 83, said: "You had to wait all the time. There was no co-ordination between the staff."

Karen Cox, 40, said the closure had made her "panic a little bit" as she relied on it to get her son medication which helped him sleep at night.

Tony Mccullam had turned up for a review of his tablets with his wife but had to walk away

The CQC said that in April this year, one partner of its register remained, which meant the original partnership "no longer existed as the legal entity that was registered with CQC."

"Despite CQC's attempts to engage with the remaining doctor to establish appropriate registration, they did not respond within the required timeframe," a spokesperson said.

"This action was administrative rather than enforcement-related, updating the register to reflect that no legal entity remained."

A spokesperson for the ICB said: "We understand this may feel unsettling, but please be assured your care will continue, your records are secure, and you will be kept fully informed about next steps."

The ICB advised patients to call NHS 111 if they have an urgent health requirement, to call 999 in an emergency or visit local pharmacies for minor illnesses.

It added patients who already have appointments booked would be contacted with updated details and a rescheduled date.

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