Finchley Road Surgery Closure Escalates

12.00.00am GMT Mon 14th Feb 2005

It has now emerged that over 1,300 people have been affected by the closure of the Finchley Road GP Surgery and that local councillors were not consulted or even notified of the proposed closure.

The revelation came as the Primary Care Trust was forced to issue a letter of apology to local ward councillors in Fortune Green for failing to notify them of the closure.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman, Ed Fordham says "It would seem that the PCT have made a major error here and this is not something that we can afford to let happen and certainly must never happen again. The PCT have failed to provide any reassurance that there is space within the three proposed practises for transfer of patients for 1,300 people.

"The failure to consult goes against Section 11 of the NHS Act 2000 and I intend to take this matter further I the PCT does not provide a meaningful response to the local concerns.

"The PCT is labouring under a serious misapprehension - namely that people would have known that the surgery was likely to close. This is outrageous - the PCT have the responsibility to ensure that there is significant provision and they have failed to do the bare minimum let alone fulfill their legal obligations to consult. There needs to be a full public apology and some meaningful reassurances that the patients who are now without a GP are registered with another local doctor."

NOTE

Ed arranged for the following questions to be raised in Parliament by Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson.

Ordinary Written question to: Department of Health for answer on

24/02/2005:

If he will set out for each year since 1996 for (a) England, (b) each Primary Care Trust how many GP practices closed?.

Ordinary Written question to: Department of Health for answer on

24/02/2005:

How many patients have had to be allocated to a GP list in each year since 1996 for (a) England, (b) each Primary Care Trust?.

Ordinary Written question to: Department of Health for answer on

24/02/2005:

What estimate has he made of the number of people in England who are currently not registered with a GP and what the average length of time a person waits to be registered with a GP?.

Ordinary Written question to: Department of Health for answer on

24/02/2005:

What representations has he received concerning the quality of the consultation undertaken by the local Primary Care Trust concerning the closure of the Finchley Road Surgery in Camden?.