Latest news with #HighparksMedicalPractice
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Higham campaigners hope 10-year NHS plan will save GP surgery
Campaigners fighting to save their local GP surgery believe the government's 10-year plan for the NHS will help them Medical Practice in north Kent has applied to close one of the four sites it operates from, in Higham, which it said is financially unsustainable.A campaign and petition have been launched to save practice said closing one surgery was the only way to safeguard its three other sites. On 2 July Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer launched a series of wide ranging reforms to the NHS, to be carried out over the next Angell, who started the petition to save Higham surgery, said: "It mentions communities and villages having direct access to care."I'm hopeful that means, whether the surgery does or does not close, there will be a replacement service." The application to close the surgery will now be considered by the NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB).Ms Angell said she and fellow campaigners would be lobbying the board."I'm hopeful" she said, "the fight isn't over."I just hope the ICB give us the time we need to be able to express our concerns and take them on board."Highparks also runs surgeries in Cliffe Woods, Cliffe and Wainscott. 'Struggled with challenges' A spokesperson for Highparks Medical Practice said: "All four sites work together as a single practice serving over 15,000 patients, who can be seen at any location regardless of which site is nearest their home."Both this government and the previous one have prioritised general practice at scale. The latest plans focus on large health hubs like the Healthy Living Centres in Medway but do not address how to sustain small rural surgeries like ours."As a partnership, we have struggled with these challenges for years and are saddened by the need to close one site. Despite extensive discussions with the local Integrated Care Board and political representatives, no alternative has been found."Unless the government addresses rural primary care challenges, practices like ours will continue to face difficult decisions. This decision safeguards the future of the practice and the care of over 15,000 patients."
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Difficult decision' to apply to close GP branch
An application has been made to close a GP practice in north Kent. Highparks Medical Practice operates four sites at Cliffe Woods, Cliffe, Higham and Wainscott. It has made an application to close the site at Higham. The practice said that operating four sites had become "financially unsustainable due to high running and maintenance costs". On its website Highparks Medical Practice said it needed to take steps to stabilise the practice's financial position to be sustainable going forward and therefore needed to close one of its branch sites. "An independent assessment of all our sites was carried out, which included a review of staff allocation, services offered, and overall finances," said the practice. "Based on the findings, we have determined that the site closure with the least impact on our patients will be Hermitage Road, Higham. "After careful consideration and over 18 months of in-depth discussions, we are making a formal application to close this branch." Any application to close the practice has to be made to the local integrated care board (ICB), NHS Kent and Medway. The ICB has responsibility to ensure primary care services are available and that any changes do not disadvantage local people. The ICB has said it would follow its usual governance process if/when an application was received. Patients from the practice have been invited to share how the proposed closure might affect them. Highparks has launched a Patient Participation Group "to ensure this information reaches as many people in the community as possible". "The practice emphasises that this is a difficult decision, and we want to assure patients that we are committed to providing safe, high-quality care throughout this transition," added a Highpark spokesperson. Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Kent and Medway GP appointments up 250k in a year 'I could not move without vomiting for six months' Health services aim to tackle Kent obesity rate Highparks Medical Practice NHS Kent and Medway
