THE abrupt closure of a medical practice covering a large part of Upper Redesdale and Elsdon has left hundreds of patients without a GP.

The Harbottle Medical Practice, which operates satellite surgeries in Otterburn three days a week, closes today after just 10 days’ notice.

The bombshell was dropped on Wednesday of last week by NHS England, which said the 800 people on the books of the practice in the Coquet Valley would have to register with other doctors.

But local residents are refusing to accept the closure, and are demanding that full consultation takes place before the sentence of death is passed on the surgery – the largest and most sparsely populated practice in England.

Elsdon resident Richard Simmance said: “The people affected are working people, farmers and elderly who would find it difficult if not impossible to access medical services further away.

“The practice has been extensively used by visitors to the Coquet and Rede valleys.

“It is shocking that five years ago, over £300,000 of public money was spent providing a new surgery at Harbottle which is now to be made redundant.

”Siting this within the village hall, in conjunction with the surgery at Otterburn Village Hall, has secured the future of both the halls for the communities.

“The NHS is encouraging and coercing patients to register with alternative practices, causing considerable alarm and concern as to the future of the Harbottle practice.

“There will inevitably be increasing pressure on the ambulance service.”

He suspected that the loss of the contract to provide medical services to the Ministry of Defence at Otterburn had undoubtedly financially damaging to the practice.

In a joint letter to the Cumbria and North-East branch of NHS England, the chairmen of three parish councils affected by the closure – Elsdon, Harbottle and Alwinton – said: “We are extremely concerned about the closure of the Harbottle Medical Practice, at scandalously short notice and without due consideration for the needs of its patients.

“On two previous occasions when the practice doctor departed suddenly, there was full consultation with patients, including public meetings.

“On the last occasion five years’ ago, the NHS committed itself to retaining the Harbottle practice,

“This is a dispensing practice with drop-off points for prescriptions, a vital element of the service when the nearest pharmacy is at least 10 and up to 30 miles away.”

The three chairmen, supported by Sue Bolam, who lives in Elsdon and serves on the Northumberland National Pak Authority, noted the practice had built up an excellent reputation that had resulted in it attracting new patients from other practices

Calling for full consultation with patients and all interested parties, the chairmen‘s letter said: “In the meantime patients should not be encouraged or coerced into registering with medical practices situated at considerable distances from where they live.”

The crisis appears to have stemmed from the loss by the practice of popular GP Ian Brunt, who was relieved of his duties following allegations of poor time keeping.

The practice underwent a Care Quality Commission inspection on July 24, after which the other GP, Dr Rina Miah, went off on the sick.

In the letter to patients – received only after news of the closure had been leaked to local radio – said: “We can confirm that Dr Miah at Harbottle Surgery had had difficulty in providing access to services for patients in recent weeks, and unfortunately, these issues have not been resolved.

“NHS England’s main priority is to ensure that patients have access to high quality GP services and the practice will therefore close on August 28, with no further service provided at Harbottle, or the practice’s two branch surgeries at Rothbury and Otterburn.

“In light of this exception situation patients will need to register with a new practice to ensure continuity of care.”

The GPs’ practice at Bellingham, which already runs two surgeries a week at Otterburn, said it had the capacity to take on up to 300 patients from Byrness, Rochester, Otterburn and Elsdon currently registered with the Harbottle surgery.

Partner at the Bellingham Surgery Dr Mandy Gray said: “We have already some new registrations from Harbottle, and a lot more inquiries, and we do have the capacity to accept them.

”We currently hold surgeries at Otterburn on Tuesday and Fridays, and we would certainly be looking at adding an additional session.

“I know there is a campaign to save the Harbottle surgery, but changes to the way rural surgeries are funded makes it hard to imagine it could be viable again in such a remote area. It has been in a vulnerable position for some time.“

brian.tilley@hexham-courant.co.uk