Patients will be ‘devastated’ if GP practice closes

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A woman has said she would be left “devastated” if plans to close her GP surgery go ahead, as she fears her care will get worse and other practices will be overwhelmed with new patients.

Sarah Stroud-Wykes, 49, slammed proposals to close Trinity Medical Centre in Balham High Road, Balham, as “ridiculous” and raised concerns about the impact on patients.

It comes after the surgery was rated inadequate twice by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under its old service provider.

Tudor Lodge Health Centre took over in September 2022 as a temporary solution but the caretaking contract is due to end soon and plans have been put forward by NHS South West London to close Trinity Medical Centre permanently and ask patients to register at nearby surgeries.

Ms Stroud-Wykes, 49, said the surgery is the best she has ever been to and should stay open.

She has multiple health conditions, takes around 18 tablets a day and said thousands of patients will feel “let down” if the closure goes ahead.

She called the plans “ridiculous” and said: “I don’t know where to start… I’ve got serious medical problems, I’ve got many diseases, many conditions, that affect the kidneys, liver, you name it I have it, so I’ve been with GPs over 15 years since I started getting ill – I’ve never met such lovely doctors.”

She added: “To find a good doctor’s surgery is just second to none. I would be devastated, I would be lost.”

If Trinity Medical Centre closes, Ms Stroud-Wykes believes other practices will be overwhelmed by new patients and the “fantastic” Trinity Pharmacy next door will be affected negatively as “they go hand-in-hand, all the people that get medicines from that doctor’s go there”.

Jaymeena Amin, pharmacist at Trinity Pharmacy, also called for the surgery to stay open and said the new provider has been running it well.

She raised concerns other surgeries will not be able to cope with an influx of patients and would be forced to rely more on phone calls than face-to-face appointments.

A spokeswoman for NHS South West London said: “Trinity Medical Centre was rated ‘inadequate’ twice by the health care regulator the Care and Quality Commission (CQC) and deemed unable to provide safe and effective care.

“We are proposing to close the practice and ask patients to re-register nearby, with extra support in place for the most vulnerable – there are 10 practices within a one-mile radius and an additional 21 practices within two miles.

“We’re grateful to Tudor Lodge for urgently stepping in to allow for plans to be made for the future – like us, Tudor Lodge don’t think extending this current arrangement is a viable long-term solution.

“We are carefully considering the feedback we are receiving before making a decision and will continue to keep all registered patients up to date with any developments.”

Pictured top: Sarah Stroud-Wykes at Trinity Medical Centre on Balham High Road (Picture: Charlotte Lillywhite)