Beech Grove Surgery in Brading and Lake will close its doors next year, with 4,500 patients set to be moved to other practices by the Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, it has been announced today (Wednesday).
Patients have this lunchtime been informed of the decision for a ‘managed dispersal’ of registered patients to other practices. It comes following the news last month that the GPs at Brading’s only practice are to hand back their contract.
Primary care services will no longer be provided in Brading from 1st April 2020, leaving residents of the town having to travel to Ryde, St Helens or Sandown for treatment. Those registered at the surgery’s Lake practice will also have to move although the disruption is expected to be less intrusive for those patients.
Work is underway to transfer the majority of patients to Sandown Health Centre, Shanklin Medical Centre, Tower House Surgery and St Helens Medical Centre. Patients will be informed by means of a letter which surgery they have been allocated. The intention is to transfer families who live at the same address to the same practice.
Although the CCG had hoped that the Brading surgery could be kept open, no expressions of interest were received from any other Island GPs. In addition, the current buildings at The Mall and Sandown Road will be unavailable from April next year, meaning suitable premises would have had to have been found at a significant cost.
The decision was taken by the Partnership Primary Care Commissioning Committee of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Partnership of Clinical Commissioning Groups on 7th November.
In a letter to those affected, the CCG has said:
“We appreciate that this is not the outcome that everyone wanted, and that it presents some patients with difficulties, but the decision cannot be changed. The PPCCC agree that, realistically, it was the only option open to us to ensure your continued safe access to GP primary medical services”.
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which ultimately means the Ryde and sandown surgeries will be inundated with new patients, meaning longer waiting times for those already using the service.
Lucky dip if you want an appointment now
Lets face it ….. Most people these days are registered with Dr. Google, available 24 hours a day, no appointments and no waiting times – seems to be that you must sort it out yourself, tell the pharmacy what Dr Google says and they will give you the medication.
be thankful you even have an NHS
I do hope that there will be a continuity of care and that no one gets left without their prescriptions.
As usual CCG making excuses, doing nothing to resolve this huge problem. No doubt still drawing a fat salary.
@Dicky
the CCG cannot force a doctor to take up residence in brading. There has been no interest from any of the Ryde GP’s and the building will soon be no longer available.
If no one wants to move into brading and take over or set up a surgery – then no amount of talk will change that.
A local Pharmacist was willing to offer medical advice and pharmacy in a unit in Brading and was told a decision had already been made while patients were still signing petitions 🙁
not a full Dr surgery though is it.
Oh good, even longer waiting times for existing patients. Better let the so called planners know so they can permit even more new buildings and even more new people to join the queues.
that is right – all these brilliant ideas that developers have of lining their pockets with new houses being built. They always say there will be a Dr Surgery, dentist etc etc – if the CCG cannot get a Dr to set up an practices for an existing town, then what hope is there of staffing a new surgery for a small town, not yet built.
Perhaps they could answer that question.
Absolutely disgraceful Over 4,500 patients told there are regular buses to reach the alternative surgeries 4.5 miles away ! Why did they not accept the local Pharmacist willing to open a unit in Brading offering medical advice and pharmacy ?????
Having spoken to Alison Smith this afternoon we were told should a pharmacy wish to apply, then as the situation has changed since the 2018 PNA document, that it could be a consideration, but didn’t mean we would get one!
It was obvious from the meeting that the main age range was elderly, with only one young person attending. They could not hear what was being said.
Is the message really getting to those it should? Perhaps the CCG should have gone to the school and speak to the young parents? If a child takes ill in school, then the quick trip up to the doctors is now out of the equation. Safeguarding springs to mind!
We are too overcrowded as it is, now we have to squeeze 4,500 people into other surgeries really !
People amaze me, they can ‘see’ that we have too many people here, for our infrastructure and facilities on offer, YET still can’t see an issue with mass, never ending immigration.
Just because we don’t have the amount they have on the mainland, the people ‘moving’ here to avoid having their lives adversely affected then ADD to our problems.
Wait until all the new houses are built in Ryde, best book an appointment each week, just in case, then cancel it if not needed, will be the ONLY way to get seen, that or you will be dead or self cured time the appointment is met.
Never liked these doctors, but the Surgery position and parking was good.
Bet that will be sold off to the ‘usual’ developers, with NO thought for future demand.
God help your children’s futures here.
Who owns the two properties in use by Beech Grove Surgery- one at the Mall Brading and the other in Sandown Road Lake? I have been making enquiries but nobody seems to know the postion.
Who owns the two properties in use by Beech Grove Surgery- one at the Mall Brading and the other in Sandown Road Lake? I have been making enquiries but nobody seems to know the exact position.
Beech Grove Surgery is a well-liked GP practice and I seek to know what possible alternatives there are to closing it down. Can the properties be purchased from the owners for the community so as to ensure continuity of GP service provision in both places?
if anyone wants to know who owns that property – the title register purchased for £3 from the governments land registry site.
I was told at the first meeting the building in on The Mall is owned by the the doctors…so guessing it will be sold 🙁
Dr Peter and Jane Brand were decent doctors, how low our health service has become, how poor, and now even that dire service is gone.
Wonder if it is just ‘coincidence’ cut backs to the health service, occurs as mass immigration swells the UK population to breaking point, along with jails bursting at the seams.
MP’s too afraid to tell it how it is, but, we have eyes.