The date for a medical centre earmarked for closure in Tuebrook to shut its doors for good has been confirmed.
Thousands of patients at Park View Medical Centre could be transferred to alternative locations after it was confirmed NHS Cheshire and Merseyside integrated care board (ICB) had been unable to find a new provider to keep the surgery open. Despite a lengthy campaign, the ICB said earlier this year, a tender process had been unsuccessful and a decision had been made to close Park View at the end of its current contract.
Now NHS bosses have confirmed the day Park View would shut should no alternative be found. Mark Bakewell, interim director of place for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, told Liverpool’s health and wellbeing board it had been a “difficult decision” for health chiefs.
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Mr Bakewell added how disposal of the site, which includes other NHS buildings on Orphan Drive, was arranged for August 1. Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, said there was a “very strong local campaign” against the closure and concerns were being raised in a bid to retain the surgery.
In a bid to convince the ICB to reconsider the decision, Labour MPs Ian Byrne and Paula Barker have written to Neil O’Brien MP, minister for primary care and public health. In the letter, seen by the ECHO, the Liverpool representatives said: “The medical centre has been at the centre of the community for decades, providing vital primary care services to our constituents, in one of the most deprived areas of the West Derby constituency.
“It is unacceptable to us that this long-standing primary care service could be lost, not because of clinical failures, lack of demand for its services or a lack of willing providers. This potential closure comes at a time when there is already a crisis engulfing the NHS, and when there is immense pressure on GP services and healthcare staff.
“Closing Park View Medical Centre and transferring patients to practices that are already facing such pressures is unthinkable. Closure of any primary care services in our constituencies will be of enormous detriment to the health and wellbeing of the whole community.”
Mr Byrne and Ms Barker asked Mr O’Brien to provide details of discussions the Department of Health has had in relation to the future of Park View Medical Centre and requested an urgent meeting to discuss what steps can be taken to stop closure, and “to ensure the future of Park View Medical Centre and the primary care services it provides to the community.”
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