Fears growing that Warsop medical centre with 4,500 patients could be facing closure

Patients at Riverbank Medical Services’, on Church Street’ are in the dark as to what will happen to the centre in the coming weeks with the practice manager leaving for a new role and the current GP, Dr Anil Kaistha, due to retire next month.

Now, Tony Brewer, chairman of the surgery’s Patient Participatory Group, is urging Nottinghamshire health chiefs to give him and the 4,500 patients registered at the surgery some clarity over what happens after that.

He said: “We can’t get any definitive answers as to whether the surgery is going to remain open.

“The NHS knew the practice manager was leaving and Dr Kaistha was retiring back in April and yet we’ve only just found out recently.

“The surgery has 4,500 patients within the Warsop area and many of them are 65 and over and do not have the knowledge on how to change surgery and don’t understand how to do it.

“The only other surgery that operates there is the Meden one at Warsop Primary Care Centre and that again is a one-doctor surgery.

“I know that, by regulation, surgeries have to take other patients, but I’m almost certain 4,500 patients are not going to be absorbed by that one surgery there, so people will have to go others around the district and again, that’s not possible for some people.

“We don’t know if the NHS is going to take over the running of the Riverbank surgery or not.

“If they are, then that’s great, but if they’re not, there’s going to be wholesale panic as people try to get into another surgery to maintain repeat prescriptions and other medical treatments.

"They’ve known about this for six weeks now and six weeks is a long time and now time’s running out for something to be done.

“We just feel, as a PPG, that people around here should know this so they can also put pressure on the NHS to make a decision.

“We were led to believe that a decision had been made but this had since been rescinded and we now we don’t know where we stand.”

Joe Lunn, associate director ofprimary care at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire said: "Dr Kaistha at Riverbank Medical Services in Warsop, has taken the decision to serve three months’ notice on his GP contract and stop providing GP services at Riverbank.

"NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are currently working through plans to ensure patients registered at Riverbank Medical Services continue to have access to GP services.

"Once the process has been finalised, patients will receive a letter about how they can access GP services. Patients do not need to take any action at this current time and can continue to contact Riverbank for their healthcare needs.

"Anyone who needs further help or has any concerns can contact NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Patient Experience Team on 0115 8839570 during office hours or email [email protected].”