The Petition of residents of the UK,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that Dover Medical Practice, situated in Dover Health Centre on Maison Dieu Road, should remain open; further that the Petitioners believe that it is the duty of NHS England to make sure all existing services continue to be available to its patients and to ensure that there are adequate staff for this to happen; and further that a local Petition on this matter in the Dover constituency received 803 signatures.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take all possible steps to ensure that Dover Medical Practice will not close; and further that the House of Commons urges the Department of Health to guarantee that NHS England continues to provide the present staff and services at the Dover Medical Practice for the benefit of the local community.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Charlie Elphicke, Official Report, 05 November 2014; Vol. 587, c. 936.]
[P001396]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Health:
In May 2014, Concordia Health informed NHS England that it wished to withdraw from its contract to manage Dover Medical Practice early. Following discussions it was agreed that the contract would be brought to an end on 30 November 2014.
NHS England’s Kent and Medway Area Team took the decision to allow Dover Medical Practice to close, as it wished to commission GP services from practices and providers that are sustainable, resilient and could provide certainty and continuity of care to patients. It believed this could best be achieved under the provision of a permanent contract for GP services.
Patients registered at Dover Medical Practice were advised that they would be required to reregister with another GP practice, of which there are a number in and around Dover, and were provided with a list of all the relevant practices and their contact details.