Green party calls for talks to save surgery

East Mendip Green Party (EMGP) has presented a petition calling on NHS England to reject Frome Medical Practice’s proposal to close Locks Hill Surgery.

The petition gathered over 400 signatures from local people in two weeks. John Clarke of EMGP said, “This gives a real indication of the strength of feeling in the area. Frome Medical Practice’s flawed consultation, held over a four week period, received only 386 responses, with 44 respondents opposed to the closure. We would suggest our petition of people mostly in the eastern part of Frome, where Locks Hill is located, is a greater reflection of local opposition to the proposed closure.”

EMGP has called on NHS England to hold a meeting with local representatives and the medical practice to discuss options to retain the surgery, and have also voiced concerns that discussions currently being held with the practice – but not including NHS England – have centred on actions that could be taken to alleviate the impact of the closure rather than keeping the surgery open to serve the community. One person who signed EMGP’s petition told them, “We need local surgeries to support vulnerable communities”, and another said, “The closure will hurt the most needy in our community.”

When EMGP approached local MP David Warburton to ask him to sign the petition, he stated that he was in favour of the closure as a ‘positive move to ensure that patients have access to all their medical needs only a short distance away from Lock’s Hill’ and ‘can be treated in a more professional manner at the main surgery where doctors and nurses are immediately at hand with all the necessary facilities rather than one doctor on his or her own at Lock’s Hill.’

In response, John Clarke remarked, “This demonstrated a lack of understanding of the real difficulties for the local community to access the main practice, particularly for those reliant on public transport with its associated costs. For people on low incomes, with limited mobility or in poor health, the ‘short distance away’ to a practice on the other side of Frome is a serious challenge, and will add further stress to patients who are already vulnerable.

“Mr Warburton also failed to appreciate how (as told to us by a number of local residents) the service has been reduced over the past two years. Two or three doctors were previously available daily for appointments – this was later reduced down to one. This was a deliberate decision taken by Frome Medical Practice, not a shortcoming of the facilities at Lock’s Hill. For the majority of patients their needs are about having access to a doctor and/or a nurse both of which can be provided ‘professionally’ at Lock’s Hill Surgery.

“We await a response to our request for a meeting and hope NHS England will listen to the concerns of local people, provide an opportunity for their voice to be heard and make a decision based on the real needs of the community.”