RESIDENTS opposed to the proposed closure of Trent Road medical practice will take their fight to Oldham Civic Centre later this month for a final protest.
A decision on the future of the High Crompton doctor’s surgery had been expected last month.
But the scheduled extraordinary meeting of Oldham CCG’s Primary Care Commissioning Committee was cancelled and is now set for Thursday, October 24 at 3.30pm at the Civic Centre, West Street.
The agenda and the papers for the meeting will available online: www.oldhamccg.nhs.uk/About-Us/Meetings/PCCC
At the meeting, the committee is asked to make a decision on the request from The Parks Medical Practice to close its Trent Road branch. If the proposal from The Parks Medical Practice is approved, the Committee is asked to decide whether the site should close on 30 November as requested, or if this date should be extended.
If you are planning to attend the meeting, contact the CCG’s corporate office by email: oldccg.ccgcorporateoffice@nhs.net or call 0161 622 6511 to help them make appropriate room arrangements.
More than 6,000 patients are registered at the Royton-based practice and currently can choose where they want to receive health care, with about 1,000 being seen at Trent Road.
But in April inspectors from the Care Quality Commission rated the practice as ‘inadequate’ and it was placed in special measures.
The CCG says that closing the Trent Road facility is required to improve services from at the surgery’s main base at Royton Health and Wellbeing Centre.
Dr Rakesh Kohli from the GP surgery said: “I set up Trent Road with my old retired partner Dr Pal, have put years of service into Trent Road, and have great regard for all my patients there, it just seems red tape takes over more and more.
“I will be deeply saddened if the surgery has to close. It would seem like losing a dear friend, but it is not in my hands, but in the hands of legislation.
“I would like to thank all our staff and patients for their continual support.”
The Trent Road ‘satellite’ surgery has been in place in a converted shop since 1982 and offers GP appointments four days a week with one doctor on site.
Shutting it would save the CCG an estimated £14,757, documents show.
It is a 40-minute walk from Trent Road to the Royton practice, or half an hour on public transport, catching two buses.
Cllr Howard Sykes said: “My colleagues are very concerned about this and the focus of our efforts is what is best for patients.
“This whole matter is causing great concern to a large number of elderly and vulnerable people who need some assurance and certainly on where and how they will access primary health care.”
A spokesman for the CCG said that 70 per cent of the time patients access the main surgery in Royton for treatment.
They added that part of the feedback from CQC inspectors was that all of the practice’s sites needed to be fully accessible and provide a full range of services.
Reports state that it is not possible to install a wheelchair ramp to access the Trent Road branch and it has only one consulting room, and no masked area or interview room for facilitate confidential conversation or privacy.
“For this reason the practice is of the view that to help it provide a service that is safe, effective and well led, as well as caring and responsive, it needs to concentrate efforts on the main site and close its Trent Road branch,” the spokesman said.