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Flintshire councillor concerned at possible closure of Deeside Medical Centre, Shotton

Nov 18 2010 by Kathryn Quayle, Flintshire Chronicle

STAFF and patients at a Deeside doctors’ surgery are waiting to find out if the doors to the practice will remain open – or whether it will close and services will be relocated.

Deeside Medical Centre in Shotton provides services to 5,825 patients who may have to move to an alternative facility if new GPs taking over propose changes to services.

Sealand councillor Chris Jones said if services are relocated it will have a major effect on patients.

She said: “A lot of elderly people from Sealand use the surgery.

“The Sealand practice closed 20 years ago and residents were forced to travel to Queensferry.

“Patients don’t want to travel to see a doctor when they are ill, it isn’t fair.”

Cllr Jones said she didn’t think communication with patients had been very clear.

“Most people I have spoken to thought there was a new doctor coming to be based at the Deeside Medical Centre,” she said. “People didn’t realise that moving to another surgery was a possibility.

“Patients must be made aware of what is happening, and we need people to stand up for what they want.”

The practice in Chester Road East has been run by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) on a temporary basis since the retirement of the senior partners earlier this year.

A spokesman for the board said: “The board has been looking for GPs to take over the practice on a permanent basis and are now looking at the applications.

“Proposals from GPs applying to take over may include continuing to provide services from the current location or setting up the practice at another address within the practice area and within a reasonable distance of the existing surgery.

“As soon as an appointment has been made we will of course let people know the details of who has been selected and their proposals for providing the GP service in the area.”

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