Sutton: GP shortage leaves 6,000 surgery patients in limbo

A public meeting called to discuss the closure of Priors Field Surgery attracted a large crowd

A shortage of doctors and the imminent retirement of some GP partners will see a village surgery close on 31 March. More than 6,000 registered patients at Priors Field in Sutton, Cambridgeshire will have to travel outside the village to see a GP.

Figures from the House of Commons library show the ratio of patients to GPs in Cambridgeshire has risen by a fifth since 2016.

The BBC spoke to Sutton residents who attended a packed meeting this week to hear local NHS representatives explain the changes.

'It's vital for the elderly and young mums'

Caroline Zaris is also struggling to find an NHS dentist

Caroline Zaris, aged 66, says local people are doing their best in what she describes as "an impossible situation".

She believes the local NHS is making a genuine effort to find alternatives, but are stymied by recruitment problems.

"There aren't enough GPs and there isn't enough funding," she said.

"I think that some of the NHS GP surgeries will go the same way as the dentist. I'm trying to find an NHS dentist. I moved to the area two years ago and there isn't one.

"OK, I have to pay, I can pay but what about the people who can't?"

Having a local surgery, Ms Zaris said, is "vital for the elderly who can't get on a bus and the bus service runs every two hours or so and it's hopeless for the young mums".

"Why make people's lives difficult when there are 6,000 people here?"

'I have a baby and don't drive'

Yvette Smith has a young child and doesn't drive so has concerns about a potential lack of a local GP service

44-year-old Yvette Smith only moved to the area in January.

"Shortly after moving here we found out the GP service was closing with no notice - and with a small baby it was really a bad situation," she said.

"I think we're in a situation that's not as bad as the people that are elderly and have got disabilities, but obviously when you've got a small child - and I don't drive - if I'm at home alone and I need to go to the doctor I don't have an option potentially locally".

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She says she believes the plans had been communicated very poorly.

"It's really quite shocking about how this happened, how the news leaked," she says.

'Transport is very difficult'

Brian Watson highlighted recent problems with bus services

A Sutton resident for 40 years, Brian Watson, thought the meeting went well.

"The two representatives from the health service were very open," the 74-year-old says.

"I think they persuaded the majority of the people in the meeting they're doing their best to explore other options.

"Transport is very difficult. We had a recent crisis about local bus services being withdrawn that was rescued at the last minute."

Mr Watson said he was also concerned that people might lose face-to-face contact with their doctors.

'The service was superb but not now'

Jean Harnwell has lived in Sutton for more than 50 years

Jean Harnwell, 79, described how there was just one doctor in the village when she first moved to Sutton.

"His wife helped with dispensing drugs," Ms Harnwell said, adding: "The service has been superb. But not now".

When asked about how she felt at the situation she replied: "Angry and frustrated. We have not had any answers today."

'Other practices can absorb the new patients'

Dr Gary Howsam from NHS Cambridgeshire said GP shortages were having an impact

According to official NHS workforce data, between December 2016 and December 2022 the number of full time GPs in Cambridgeshire fell by 8% - while patient numbers rose by 10%.

There are more than 2,300 patients to every fully-qualified GP, the data showed.

Dr Gary Howsam, from NHS Cambridgeshire, says the difficulties in finding alternative doctors in Sutton is part of a national problem.

"We know that the number of GPs across the UK is reducing and unfortunately these are the consequences," he says.

"Practices across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have been struggling for some time with recruitment.

"We are finding these small pockets where doctors are leaving and we are just unable to replace them at the moment."

But Dr Howsam moved to reassure people in Sutton faced with travelling to other surgeries.

"People are understandably concerned that if they're being moved to other practices that are already busy, will those practices be able to cope with the extra numbers of patients? We have been assured by those practices that they can," he says.

"I'm always very careful if I'm using words like 'crisis' not to throw up unnecessary concerns, but I do think in certain patches were getting to the point now where people do describe it as a crisis".

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesman told the BBC: "We're making sure patients get to see their GP quickly.

"We delivered almost four million more appointments last month, the equivalent to almost 120,000 every working day.

"We are making progress on our commitment to offer 50 million appointments a year by March 2024.

"There are more than 400 additional doctors in general practice compared to a year ago, face-to-face appointments are up by over 10% and we are on track to hit our target of 26,000 additional members of staff including pharmacists, physiotherapists, and paramedics, who are providing care directly to patients, or supporting doctors and nurses to do so.

"While there is more to do, we are focused on the government's priority to cut waiting lists so people get the care they need more quickly and improving access to dedicated healthcare professionals up and down the country."