A north Norfolk surgery could be closing - putting a proportion of more than 14,000 patients at risk of being left without a nearby practice.
An application to close Blakeney Surgery, in Queen's Close, has been submitted to NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) by Holt Medical Practice, which runs the surgery.
According to NHS Digital data, as of April this year there were 14,338 registered across Holt Medical Practice, Blakeney Surgery and Melton Constable Surgery, which is another branch of the Holt practice.
The closure would mean that patients at the Blakeney practice will have to travel to either of the Holt or Melton Constable centres.
NHS Norfolk and Waveney has said the application to close the branch is in its “early stages”, but North Norfolk MP Duncan Baker has called for Holt Medical Practice to keep the surgery open.
“They should not be closing the surgery because there are elderly residents who are desperately reliant on it to access services like seeing a doctor and getting prescriptions,” MP Baker said.
“They need to rethink as it is paramount that in rural areas we are saving services and not losing them.”
The application will need to be approved by NHS Norfolk and Waveney’s primary care commissioning committee, before entering a period of consultation with patients and stakeholders.
Holt Medical Practice would then need to submit a formal application to NHS Norfolk and Waveney to close the surgery.
A spokesperson from NHS Norfolk and Waveney said: “The application to close Blakeney Surgery is in the very early stages.
“The Primary Care Commissioning Committee will need to approve the practice’s request to be able proceed with the application process.
"If the practice’s request to proceed with the application process is approved, then a period of consultation and engagement with patients and other stakeholders will follow, including patients from both the main surgery and the branch, neighbouring practices in the Primary Care Network area, patient participation groups, the local medical committee, Healthwatch, local community groups such as parish councils, the health overview and scrutiny committee, and local MPs and councillors."
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