Concerns have been raised after a health centre announced it will be closing its doors.
Residents in Speke said they were worried to hear of the potential closure of the West Speke Health Centre based at Blacklock Hall Road. NHS Cheshire and Merseyside confirmed to the ECHO there was "no other option".
A closure date is not currently known, but patients will be contacted in due course to discuss their options. For now, they are being advised to attend the health centre as usual.
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Jan Ledward, Place Director Liverpool, at NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said: "We recently went through a process to find providers for seven Liverpool GP practices. These practices have fixed-term contracts, so we have to go through this process when they are coming to an end.
"We asked people who were interested in running the practices to put in a bid – they had to provide enough information to help us decide if they would be able to provide safe and effective GP services. Unfortunately, although we have found providers for six practices, we were not able to find anyone to run West Speke Health Centre.
She continued: "We know many people feel very strongly about keeping West Speke Health Centre, which is why we tried hard to find someone else to manage it. However, because we have been unable to do this, we have no option but to make the decision to close, and transfer patients to other GP practices.
"We are writing to all West Speke Health Centre patients to explain the situation, and let them know how they can contact us with any questions or comments. We’re talking to other GP practices about the transfer of patients, and we will write to patients again by mid-March, to let them know where they will be moving to. For now, they don’t need to do anything – they should continue using West Speke Health Centre as usual."
MP Maria Eagle took to social media this week to say she had been made aware of the news. She said she was told "no-one will be left without a doctor" as she wrote: "West Speke Health Centre is vital to local residents who should be able to access healthcare quickly and easily.
"Patients should not have to travel further afield to see a doctor or access treatment, something many will struggle to do. I will continue to liaise with NHS Cheshire & Merseyside to try and find a solution that would see the Centre remain open. It is a fight we have had before and I am fully prepared to have again.
"I will be hosting a public meeting alongside our Councillors about the planned closure and will be inviting patients to attend alongside representatives from NHS Cheshire and Merseyside."
Many people were quick to express their concerns on social media over the potential difficulty this could cause in making an appointment with a new GP practice. Others were worried about a "knock-on effect" on all patients due to a transfer.
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