Councillors demand urgent meeting over Tettenhall surgery closure
Demands for an urgent meeting with health bosses have been made after proposals to shut an under-threat doctor's surgery were revealed.
All six Conservative councillors representing Tettenhall are said to be "concerned" about the possible closure of Tettenhall Medical Practice's Wood Road surgery.
They are now set to meet with the Wolverhampton clinical commissioning group next month to raise fears the closure will impact many of the branch's elderly patients.
Leader of the Conservative group Councillor Wendy Thompson, who represents the Tettenhall Wightwick ward, said: "Tettenhall councillors and residents are very concerned to hear about the proposed closure of the Wood Road surgery.
"This will undoubtedly have an impact on patients’ ability to access these vital services. We have a very significant number of elderly residents in the area, who will struggle to get to Lower Street unless public transport is improved.
“We have arranged an urgent meeting with the clinical commissioning group to make sure that residents’ concerns are well and truly heard, and I urge people to take part in the consultation as well.”
Staff are looking to shut their Wood Road branch and instead "centralise" medical services at their second base in Lower Street to become more "flexible and efficient".
More than 4,000 patients are now at risk of either travelling further to the Lower Green branch or will be forced to find another surgery.
Councillor Jonathan Yardley said it would be a "disaster" if the branch permanently shuts and claimed the healthcare of some patients could diminish.
The Tettenhall Regis councillor added: "Most people cannot walk to Lower Street. Lower Street is beset with parking problems. The car park there does not have the capacity to cope with the amount of people that go there at the moment.
"The surgery is so easy to get to, it's right in the heart of the community - it's ideal.
"Closure would have adverse effects on the quality of healthcare that patients receive and their ability to get access to their local doctors."
A 90-day consultation on the proposed closure of the branch, which stopped taking new patients in April, is due to end on July 28.
Councillor Udey Singh, who also represents Tettenhall Regis, added: “The impact of this proposed closure, if it goes ahead, will be felt right across Tettenhall.
"There are 4,000 patients currently registered at the Wood Road surgery. I struggle to see how all of these patients could be accommodated at the existing surgery on Lower Street.”
