Sutton surgery with 6,000 patients saved from closure

Priors Field Surgery in Sutton had been due to close at the end of March

A last-minute solution has been found to save a GP surgery from closure.

Priors Field in Sutton, Cambridgeshire was due to close on 31 March.

The closure would have meant more than 6,000 registered patients would have had to travel outside the village to see a GP.

NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough said an interim provider would take over the service from 1 April. It apologised to patients for all the concern caused.

Dai Harding, from the Priors Field Patient Participation Group, said he was "delighted".

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

NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough said Malling Heath would take on the interim contract.

It said while the interim had been secured, its work to secure a lease on the premises had not yet concluded and it was working in partnership with NHS Property Services to "progress the matter as swiftly as possible".

It said it would send a letter to all patients to confirm the new provider arrangements as soon as it had finalised lease arrangements.

"We also wanted to take the opportunity to once again apologise to the local community for any upset and concern the proposed closure of Priors Field Surgery has caused and thank everyone who has contacted us or attended a public meeting for sharing your views with us," it added.

Mr Harding said he was delighted 6,000 patients no longer had to be dispersed "miles away when we have terrific transport problems".

He said he had "confidence" in the new provider, which recently took over services in Waterbeach and Cottenham, and said he hoped it would become a long-term solution.

'Vital'

The surgery had been due to close due to a shortage of doctors and the imminent retirement of some GP partners.

At a packed meeting held last Tuesday, patients told the BBC the surgery was "vital".

Health Secretary Steve Barclay, who is the Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire, had stepped in to try to save the practice.

• 'We feel angry and frustrated at surgery closure'

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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.