Patients asked to be patient in village without GP

Patients in a Yorkshire Dales village are being asked to "stay patient" as the new operators of a GP practice can't currently access the building.

Reeth Medical Centre - which with 1,600 patients is one of the smallest in the country - closed at the end of last month after GP Dr Mike Brookes retired.

It is to be taken over by Central Dales Practice, which said it still "needed access" despite having staff, equipment and services ready to operate from the building.

The practice said the situation was beyond its control, with residents able to access services at the nearby Aysgarth Surgery until the situation is resolved.

Once it opens, the Wensleydale-based Central Dales Practice intends to operate the Reeth site as a branch surgery three days a week.

In a statement, the new operator said it understood the inconvenience caused but stressed it had done everything possible to prepare for the launch of services.

"Setting up a branch site in the timeframe that was imposed upon us was tight, but we were ready and had everything in place," it said.

The practice said it had recruited additional staff, purchased extra medications and equipment and increased clinical cover in preparation for opening the branch service.

"We are ready to go. We just need access," the statement added.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, patients who require prescriptions are currently able to collect medication from Aysgarth.

The statement concluded: "Please stay patient and bear with us a little longer."

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.