Thousands could be left without a doctor as GP surgery is made homeless

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Thousands of residents could be left without a doctor after a landlord kicked a GP surgery out of its home.

Waterloo Health Centre, in Lower Marsh, Waterloo, was told it would have to leave its building in April last year.

The surgery, which serves more than 14,000 people across Lambeth and Southwark, had been planning to move into a nearby building in the street, currently used by Christian Aid.

But the surgery is now facing being made homeless within weeks, after the owners of the property pulled out of the deal at the last moment.

Maria Linforth-Hall, Southwark Liberal Democrat councillor for neighbouring St George’s ward, described the development as “alarming”.

She said: “The news is deeply alarming. This practice serves 14,000 people, many of which are in Southwark, who are being told they may lose their only local healthcare provider within weeks.

“Countless residents in my ward have contacted me to express their fear of losing the excellent service delivered by the doctors and nurses in Waterloo.

“There is no comparable alternative in the area. What are these patients supposed to do?”

Cllr Linforth-Hall said she had asked Labour-led Lambeth and Southwark councils to work together to help the practice stay where it is, or find a new home as soon as possible.

She added: “The NHS is under huge strain, already one in four people are unable to see their GP when they need to.

“Closing this surgery, even temporarily, will heap unsustainable pressure on other local healthcare services.”

Waterloo Health Centre said it had “no intention to leave Waterloo,” in an update on its website from February 10.

But the surgery admitted that it would likely now have to purpose build a new premises – which could take up to two years.

It said during that time the surgery would have to “move to a temporary site,” which it hoped would still be close to Lower Marsh.

A Lambeth Council spokesman said: “Waterloo Health Centre is a valued and vital resource for the entire community, and we know the doctors who run it have no intention to leave the local area.

“As they have said, it is not in their patients’ best interests for the practice to be made homeless.

“We are working very closely with the practice, and with the South-East London Integrated Care Board, to support them through this uncertainty.

“We hope that they will be able to find a home that will ensure they remain at the heart of their community for many years to come.”

Southwark council and Waterloo Health Centre have been contacted for comment.

Pictured top: Wateroo Health Centre’s current premises in Lower Marsh (Picture: Google Street View)