Redhill purpose-built GP surgery to close

A doctor's surgery in Redhill with one GP and nearly 2,000 patients is to close because no-one could be found to take it over, NHS Surrey has said.

The GP practice that currently runs Earlswood Park Surgery has told the NHS the site is too expensive to run.

Patient Tom Burr said the purpose-built unit was the best in the area and many people were angry about the closure.

NHS Surrey said it tried to find an organisation to take over the surgery but no interested party came forward.

The practice will close on 30 March.

'High overheads'

Mr Burr said the surgery was originally built because there was a shortage of GP practices in the area and 1,945 patients would now face extra cost and the inconvenience of having to travel to other sites.

He said overheads at Earlswood Park were high because the practice had only one doctor and most others had three or four.

Expanding it could have saved money and allowed it to continue, he added.

But he said: "Ultimately the reason other practices don't want to take it on is because they are all preparing themselves for this new legislation where obviously they can't afford to take on something which is not cost-effective."

Shelley Eugene, head of primary care at NHS Surrey, said: "We have explored all possible alternatives to enable the surgery to remain open.

"This has included undertaking a rigorous procurement process to try to find an organisation to take over the running of the practice. However, despite our best efforts, no interested party came forward."

She said patients at Earlswood Park were now being invited to register with other practices and NHS chiefs were focusing on supporting staff at the surgery who were all being made redundant.