Vince Cable

There were approximately 200 residents at a heated public meeting on Wednesday afternoon when the local Primary Care Trust and GPs led by Dr Graham Lewis faced a grilling over the closure of the Ivy House surgery and the de-registration of almost 1500 patients, many of them elderly, by the Hampton Medical Centre which runs Ivy House and another surgery, Lansdowne.

Vincent Cable, MP, who attended the meeting said that he was "shocked by the poor planning and poor consultation of the local health authorities. The GP practice was allowed to sell off one of its surgeries before it had taken steps to enlarge its other premises. 1500 patients, many of them elderly, have been shed from the practice and have been told to find other doctors; though there is no indication that other, neighbouring, practices are able or willing to take the overspill and several are difficult to get to, especially for those with limited mobility".

"I have written a strong letter to the Primary Care Trust asking them to think again. The existing Hampton practice has enough staff to handle the Ivy House patients and should continue to take responsibility for them until it is able to expand its remaining premises. the NHS cannot treat long standing patients in this high-handed way".