Threatened Mossley surgery deadline extended
Threatened Mossley surgery deadline extended
The YamYam 30 Jan 10
Anxious patients at a well-used General Practice on the Mossley estate have been granted more time for consultation regarding the future of the Abbey Square surgery. However, the consultation period will now end a month after the three existing doctors have left.
Owners of the surgery, married GP's Abdul and Rifat Ghaffar, will retire on March 31 and the third GP, Dr Saema Saleem, has indicated that she will leave the practice on March 23. More than 80 concerned patients attended a public meeting arranged by NHS Walsall and many complained of a lack of consultation and reported that letters asking for information were going unanswered.
At a hastily arranged second public meeting the following day, campaigners to keep the practice open were told that the deadline for consultation had been extended until April 23. Ironically, the meeting took place at Sneyd Community School, which itself is doomed to close despite a long and hard-fought campaign to save it.
NHS Walsall has assured the 3,053 patients registered at Abbey Square that an interim GP would be brought in during the extended consultation period and that “no decision had been made” regarding the future of the practice. One option suggested by NHS Walsall was to relocate the 3,053 patients to All Saints surgery in Field Lane and the Pinfold Street surgery. However, chairman of Mossley Residents Association, Fred Westley claimed that patients at the other surgeries were also against the move. “They don’t want to merge either,” he said.
“They've always been very good at giving us appointments at Abbey Square, but there seems to be more problems at Pinfold, so merging is not going to help that.”
Local councillor Louise Harrison has described the parking at Pinfold Street as “horrendous”. According to Phil Griffin, assistant director of primary care contracting for NHS Walsall, 6,000 letters will be sent to patients at all three surgeries asking them for their views.
A third public consultation takes place at Sneyd Community School in Vernon Way on Friday February 5 at 7-00pm.
Advertiser 5 Jan 10 NHS wants patients' views on Walsall practices
Express & Star 28 Jan 10 Patients’ uproar as third GP leaves Mossley surgery
The YamYam 13 Jan 10 Public meeting on threatened Mossley surgery
Express & Star 31 Dec Fears for Bloxwich surgery as doctors step down
Neighbourhood Professionals Doctors in Walsall
Walsall NHS GPs in Walsall pdf