Shrewsbury GP surgery closure to affect thousands

Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group said it will find patients a GP, if they do not register with a new practice

Thousands of patients are set to lose their GP surgery, after a new provider could not be found to run the service.

No-one came forward to take over the services at Whitehall Medical Practice in Monkmoor, Shrewsbury and it will close on 30 September, Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group said.

It means about 3,700 registered patients will have to find a new surgery.

But patients said they do not want the "brilliant" practice to close.

The practice is currently run by Malling Health and the CCG said it has written to patients to inform them of the decision.

It said any patients who do not register with another GP before the practice closes will be automatically transferred to another practice.

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But patients said they do not want to lose the surgery.

Kaz Batho said she is concerned there will not be space for the extra patients in the other "already overcrowded" local practices.

"There are so many new houses being built, I simply cannot believe it's closing," she said.

Teri Owens, whose daughter Alice-Rose, seven, has autism and learning disabilities, has launched a petition calling for the practice to remain open.

"[The staff] have always gone above and beyond for my daughter," she said.

Nicky Wilde, from the CCG, said: "We are confident that patients will be able to find places at other local alternative practices and we have been working with those practices in close vicinity to help accommodate transferring patients."