‘We will fight for GP surgery’ say Shrewsbury campaigners ahead of meetings
Campaigners fighting to keep a medical practice in Shrewsbury open have vowed to keep up their protests.
Several new public meetings have been arranged over the future of Whitehall Medical Practice in Monkmoor.
Campaign leader and Whitehall patient Dennis Cheese said that he was not going to accept the decision of the Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to close the practice.
“It was made behind closed doors in secret and the first I heard about it was on the news,” said Mr Cheese.
“The CCG don’t care what patients think,” said Mr Cheese.
“If they did, they would know how popular the Whitehall practice was and fought to keep it.
"We have collected over 1,600 signatures against the closure of the practice and aim to have 2,000 by the time we present our petition to a meeting of Shropshire Council on September 19.”
Councillor David Vasmer, Lib Dem member for Underdale on Shropshire Council, added: “At a recent meeting of the CCG patients were not allowed to speak and questions put to the CCG about the closure of the Whitehall practice were not referred to once.
"They are spending public money but made no effort to consider all the options after nobody came forward to run the practice.
"The CCG was invited to our public meeting but they said nobody was available to take part.
“We raised Whitehall’s closure at a recent county council scrutiny meeting and, as a result, an emergency meeting will take place on August 23 to examine these concerns.
"This meeting will be open to the public and will start at 10am in Shirehall. We hope that the CCG will attend and agree to a public examination of their policies for the first time.”
Retired NHS worker and chair of Shropshire Defend our NHS Gill George called on local MP Daniel Kawczynski to do more.
“I think it is time he rolled up his sleeves and fought on this one,” she said.
“I know that he has written a letter, great; but we need more, we need the local MP calling to account NHS decision makers who can’t take safe decisions.”
She suggested that a group of people ought to request a meeting with the MP and others should write and tell him why this matters.
Another public meeting to continue the campaign against the closure of the Whitehall Medical Practice is planned to take place on September 9 at 7pm in the Baptist Church on Crowmere Road, Shrewsbury.
Earlier this month Shropshire CCG said every option was explored in a bid to keep the practice open.
But the current operator, Malling Health, will cease to provide the service on September 27 when its contract ends.
