News | GP services


downsmail.co.uk Residents rail at surgery move


PETITIONS against plans to relocate the main doctor’s surgery out of West Malling have been sent out across the area. Local resident Pat Lander, who


“It is so important to have the


lives close to the Milverton sur- gery, has put petition sheets across the town as they fight to retain the vital provision. The building has been up for sale


for some time,with a number of in- terested parties, and the West Malling Group Practice insist they willmaintain a presence, butmany major serviceswill be shifted out to the practice’s other surgeries in Kings Hill and Leybourne. An online petition had already


garneredmore than 700 names, but Mrs Lander, who moved to the area to be close to the surgery, felt a paper petitionwas needed, too. “It was obviously hard to get


many people in their 80s and 90s to sign the online petitions as many don’t have a computer,” she said. “So I took them into all the local shops, and within a day I was al- ready hearing that theywere filling sheets upwith signatures. “We need a surgery in West


Malling. If they have decided to sell that building then there’s not a lot we can do, but we need some- thing. “My late husband and I moved


here fromOffhamwhen he became unable to drive and we chose where we lived to be close to the surgery.” There are a number of residential


homes close to the surgery, and residents fear that they will be un- able to see their doctors when the surgery moves from its current premises, where it has been for more than 70 years. Charles Hitchcock (86) also lives


close to the surgery and says itwas invaluable to the care of his late wife. He said: “My wife had car- diac issues and it was so good that she could just pop along the road to see the GP,” he said.


WestMalling residents rally to sign the petition to keep their surgery open


Travel problems for those with no car “At themoment I only live across


EVEN though he is able to drive, WestMalling resident Jeffrey Hurst insists it is crucial that people are able to see their GP in the town. Mr Hurst said: “I have see my GP


every six weeks and, although I have a car, I amangry on behalf of others. It’s not right that peoplewill have to travel so far to their doctor. How are the elderly and those mumswith childrenwho don’t have cars going to get up to Kings Hill?” Another resident, aged 91, admits


the move will cause her problems. She said: “I have treatment to my eyes every few months and I can’t see straight after it, so I have to be helped home.


the road, but when the surgery moves, it will be a nightmare.” The idea of a mobile unit for pa-


tients in West Malling also caused concern. “It’s so hard to get an appoint-


ment sometimes,” Pat Lander said. “There have been times where the only solution is to go and wait at the surgery. “I’ve been there at 7.30am and


queued up outside – they won’t open the door – until 8.15am,what- ever theweather so you just have to stand there. If there is amobile unit and no waiting space, I just don’t know what we’ll do.”


surgery here. I can still drive at the moment butwhen that is no longer the case it will be so difficult if there isn’t a surgery here.” Mr Hitchcock and Mrs Lander


were among a group of concerned patients who gathered at the sur- gery to voice their concerns. Other issues raised included the infrequency of buses from West


Malling to Kings Hill, which may mean that some residents will be forced to pay around £20 for a round trip in a taxi. Cllr Trudy Dean has long been


concerned about the fate of the sur- gery, and she was pleased to see the strength of feeling. She said: “People are very concerned. “They feel let down by the prospect of not having a surgery inWestMalling.”


Future unclear as reports of a


sale are denied CONFUSION over the future of West Malling’s surgery remains after reports of a sale were denied byWestMalling Group Practice. Bob MacDonald, acting chair-


main of the Patient Participation Group (PPG) and Cllr Trudy Dean released a statement saying that the surgery had been “sold subject to contract” on January 25. But within 24 hours, the prac-


tice’s business and finance man- ager, Vicki Plummer, told Downs Mail a buyer for the site was still being sought. Regardless, there will be issues


for the practice whenever the sale does go through because of the listed status of theMilverton build- ing. Mrs Plummer has previously in-


sisted that a “presence” will re- main in West Malling, but that many services are likely to be moved to Kings Hill, where the larger premises are more suited to the needs of the practice. However, the statement fromthe


PPG casts doubt over the viability of those plans, citing car parking as one of the key issues. Mrs Plummer said the practice


was still discussing its long-term plans for howmany surgerieswere needed andwhere they should be, although it has made a commit- ment tomaintain a presence for ap- pointments onWest Malling High Street, albeit on a reduced scale. She has also moved to clear up


some of the challenges that the practice, which has around 20,000 registered patients over the three sites, are facing.


Fight fails to keep village’sGP premises open


VILLAGERS efforts have failed to prevent the closure of their GP surgery in East Peckham. It follows a two-year campaign


MP TomTugendhat is disappointed funds have not be found to keep East Peckhamsurgery open


4 Malling February 2018


by residents to keep the “at risk” surgery open. Six hundred people signed an online petition to save it and the parish council offered £100,000 to upgrade the facility after health providers said they hadn’t themoney to keep it open. West Kent Clinical Commis-


sioning Group has confirmed the branch surgery will close on March 31, and residents now face


a journey to PaddockWood to see a doctor. Malling MP Tom Tugendhat


was frustrated that not enough could be raised tomake the neces- sary repairs to the building. He said: “We have been campaigning to keep this facility open since 2015. I’mdisappointed thatWood- landsHealthCentre has not opted to bring forward any funds to en- able it to retain a presence in East Peckham. “The challenge they now have is to ensure their Paddock Wood


facility is accessible to all, in light of the changes to bus services in the village since their plans were first announced in 2015.” He congratulated all those who


had campaigned to keep the sur- gery open, adding: “I thinkwe can all be proud, not least East Peck- ham Parish Council and all the residents and patients who sup- ported the efforts of the campaign over the past two years. “If we had not rallied round


then I suspect the surgery would have closed a long time ago.”


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