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Patients fighting to keep their village GP service

Andy GillMerseyside
News imageBBC Andrea Jack has long blonde curly hair and is wearing dark-framed glasses, a blue jumper and a pink scarf. She is standing in a park with trees in the distance.BBC
Andrea Jack, of the Billinge Patient Participation Group, fears if the GP service moves out of the village it will never return

A patients' group has said it has no confidence in local NHS bosses due to the planned relocation of its general practice services.

The doctors' surgery in Billinge, near St Helens, has about 8,500 patients. It has been told it will have to move in September because its building is being put up for sale.

The Billinge Patient Participation Group (BPPG) said it feared people's health could suffer if they have to travel further to see their doctor.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said it was exploring its options.

News imageGoogle A single-storey brown brick building with three cars parked outside.Google
The practice has been told it must move from its current premises by September

Patient Christopher Morris, who is a wheelchair user and a regular at Billinge Medical Practice, said any move would cause him real problems.

"I like where I am," he explained. "I have a lot of stress and anxiety in my life as well, and this easier to get to."

The local patients' representatives said the current team of GPs leased the building.

The owners now want to sell it, however, and in March gave the practice until September to move out.

Darren Gilchrist, of the BPPG, said: "We have an elderly demographic to the village so we've got a number of people who have difficulty accessing the practice.

"We're in a semi-rural area as well, so transport and getting to the doctors is a serious concern."

He said the local Integrated Care Board, which is part of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, was not acting quickly enough to find an alternative site and was not sufficiently consulting locals.

"We've taken a very serious decision to issue a letter of no confidence in the ICB," he said.

News imageChristopher Morris has light coloured hair and is wearing glasses and a blue and purple t-shirt with a white logo on it. He is speaking outside the medical centre.
Christopher Morris said he would struggle to access a service outside of Billinge

Andrea Jack, a fellow member of the group, said she was worried if the surgery temporarily moved out of the village it may never move back.

"So long as the GP practice manages to tick along there [it] will end up turning into a permanent solution and that's not good because the patients are going to struggle to get to it," she said.

Local resident and patient Jan Kelly said she believed a prompt GP appointment for her husband had helped to get him an early cancer diagnosis.

"Had that practice not been here, had it more challenging to get to, perhaps my husband would have delayed getting the appointment," she explained.

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said it wasworking closely with NHS England to explore possible future options.

It also committed to supporting the practice to ensure that primary care services are retained for patients.

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