Ryde’s Argyll House doctor’s surgery has been saved from closure, health bosses have revealed.
A new partnership will take over the reins at Argyll House in Ryde, just months after the current partners announced they would be stepping away – as first reported by Island Echo.
The threat of closure caused huge public concern and outcry from both patients and their representative groups.
In July, the surgery’s managers sent a notice of closure to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), which oversees healthcare on the Isle of Wight, saying they would be handing back their contract.
No closure date was given and registered patients were told to carry on using the surgery as normal – but it sparked fears of more pressure being piled on to already-stretched services.
Yesterday (Monday), Isle of Wight GP, Dr Michele Legg, clinical director for the Island on the ICB, confirmed Argyll House will be staying open after all.
Speaking at a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s health and social care scrutiny committee, Dr Legg revealed a new primary care partnership will take on Argyll House and continue to deliver services.
Manager of a patient watchdog, Joanna Smith, said Healthwatch Isle of Wight, had received a significant number concerns and said some patients had already moved to other practices.
Worries were also raised with other local GPs, she said, calling this week’s announcement ‘good news for the wider Ryde community.’
Reacting to the news, Isle of Wight ward councillor Phil Jordan said it had come as a great relief to residents, adding he was pleased a solution had been found. Cllr Jordan said he is looking forward to welcoming the new team of doctors.
Meanwhile, chair of the health scrutiny committee, Cllr Michael Lilley, thanked the ICB for meeting with patients.
Let’s hope this lot don’t pay themselves too much rather than pay income tax.
Hardly anything to celebrate as we’re short of doctors pre the risk of closure.
Let’s hope this new practice employ more harmonious staffing and at cheap rates as some were stiff, curt and arrogant and overly paid for the little they bothered to begrudgingly do.
The doctors were however very nice.
I thought Adam Poole and Christine Seiger were very good. They always treated me well.
They keep saying that the doctors handed in their notice, they did not! They were made redundant like all the staff. We are not being told the truth about this whole situation.
More Doctors Surgery’s are needed in Ryde to reduce the burden on the
other practices who cannot cope.
Argyll House use to be the best Surgery in Ryde by far,
this is great news.