Five Guildford GP Surgeries Targeted For Possible Closure In Health Services Revamp

Published on: 4 Oct, 2019
Updated on: 4 Oct, 2019

The first slide of Guildford & Waverley CCG’s public presentation on future healthcare in Guildford.

By Martin Giles

Five Guildford GP surgeries may face closure under options being considered by the NHS Guildford and Waverley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

But Fiona Davidson, chair of the Residents for Guildford & Villages Party (R4GV), is questioning whether many people are aware of the possible impact of any changes.

The surgeries are Stoughton Road, The Oaks (Park Barn), The Student Health Centre (University of Surrey), Wodeland Avenue (all part of the Guildowns Group Practice), and Woodbridge Hill surgery.

Map showing all the existing doctor’s surgeries in Guildford

Increasing demand for healthcare in Guildford has put pressures on GP practices, particularly in north and west Guildford. The reasons are:

Growth in the number of registered patients due to population growth and people living longer with multiple long-term health conditions;
Insufficient space in buildings to develop services;
Some buildings cannot provide easy access for all patients; and
Limited capacity hampers ability to develop the workforce and new ways to deliver health services.

A spokeswoman for the Guildford and Waverley CCG said: “We need to address the pressing requirement for primary care expansion at a local level.

“We are working with Guildowns Group Practice and Woodbridge Hill Surgery to consider what is really needed to improve the health and wellbeing of those in this part of Guildford, now and in the future.

“We need to ensure we have services sustainable to meet the projected population growth and the prospect that we will have a greater number of people living longer with complex health needs.

“Four options have been shortlisted, including no change.”

The four short-listed options identified by CCG for future healthcare provision.

The spokeswoman emphasised these are not “proposals” and no decisions have been made. She added: “The options are being considered as part of a wider feasibility study looking at the potential sites for new premises, the feasibility of development and the likely costs.

“Between July and September this year, we had early discussions with patients and members of the public. This exercise has now ended and we have gathered lots of views on what is positive and what concerns people about the options.”

But Ms Davidson, who stood in Friary & St Nicolas in May, is particularly concerned that centralisation of GP services out of the town centre could make travel difficult for patients.

We interviewed Ms Davidson to learn more (video recorded and edited by Mark Insoll)…

The next step for the CCG will be the completion of the feasibility study. A paper is then to be drafted for discussion in the CCG’s decision-making process.

The spokeswoman went on: “The views of local people will be fed in and a report made available on the outcomes of the engagement work.

“If there is a decision to proceed with any of the options, there will be further information and part of our work will be engagement with patients, the public and wider stakeholders.

“If significant change is required a formal public consultation will be carried out.”

The process being followed by CCG to select the preferred option.

In a separate development, patients at St Nicolas Surgery in Buryfields have been told it is closing.

St Nicolas Surgery, Buryfields

The surgery is a satellite of a Milford practice and patients who want to continue using it must travel there. Alternative Guildford surgeries are refusing new patients because many are already full.

A notice displayed on the door of the surgery.

Click here to see the full CCG slide presentation.

Responses to Five Guildford GP Surgeries Targeted For Possible Closure In Health Services Revamp

Martin Elliott Reply

October 4, 2019 at 4:03 pm

Not a mention of the three years of uncertain lease renewal of New Inn Surgery.
This has also affected other tenants of the building which led to the Burchett Barn planning permission fiasco.
Frank Phillipson Reply

October 4, 2019 at 7:50 pm

New Inn Surgery in London Road, Burpham also set to close due to talks with the landlord having failed.
Valerie Thompson Reply

October 5, 2019 at 9:54 am

How can these surgeries close when the demand for medical help is growing as the population ages? How, also, are the residual doctors going to take on so many new patients when the number of residents in the Guildford area is due to rise by many thousands?

How will the surgery secretaries manage to deal with all the phone calls and requests to see a doctor? And how will the surgeries be able to expand their parking and their buildings, when many are on already limited sites?
Jan Messinger Reply

October 5, 2019 at 6:42 pm

So we build more houses and think it’s a good idea to reduce doctors surgeries!

I think most people talk about how difficult it is to get an appointment now.

I’m all for having facilities fit for purpose, however, they need to be in the right places for people to access. I do hope the right decisions are made for the residents of Guildford. But I fear, like everything else in recent years, what we are doing now won’t necessarily be the right thing for future years.
Helena Townsend Reply

October 7, 2019 at 7:22 pm

They should build brand new purpose built facilities at Gosden Hill development and Blackwell Park and ensure long leases are put in place. This is exactly what happened at St Luke’s when the housing was built a brand new surgery was built.
John Galvin Reply

October 10, 2019 at 10:38 pm

I have been informed by my surgery (Woodbridge Hill) of its possible closure due to lack of space and asked if I could suggest a feasible site to facilitate this. Now I’ve seen that Stoughton Road Surgery is also in the same boat.

Would it not be prudent to look at the redundant “Budgens” site at Queen Elisabeth Park? I think with some rearrangement both surgeries could work together there. It’s flat, excellent wheelchair access with more than ample parking and I think you could get a pharmacy there as well.
D Seymour Reply

October 12, 2019 at 11:27 am

You have to wait too long at the moment for an appointment with a doctor. Closing surgeries will just exacerbate the situation. The knock-on effect will be for more people to require hospital treatment, and cost more money.
Sue Fox Reply

October 12, 2019 at 3:14 pm

I’m a patient at Stoughton Road and I too have thought about a transfer of to the redundant Budgens site but I would also make use of the “community centre” for either a pharmacy or/and a podiatric centre ex the Jarvis complex.

Parking is a nightmare at Woodbridge Hill and Stoughton Road but there would also be a need for public transport access.

My elderly neighbour is a patient at the St Nicolas surgery, Buryfields and to go to Milford is just not an option. It should be possible to transfer Guildford patients to other sugeries in the town.

I sometimes wonder what planet the CCG live on.
Sue Fox Reply

October 15, 2019 at 2:41 pm

I’d like to thank The Dragon for bringing this to our notice. Everyone I’ve passed the article on to is astounded that the Surrey Advertiser didn’t feature it and none have been informed by their surgery.

Keep up the good work and thank you so much.
Elaine Christie Reply

January 15, 2022 at 6:45 pm

How can this be justified? If I call my surgery sometimes it’s weeks to be called back.

We have very elderly patients in the community who need help now, not weeks away or just a telephone call.

Please Guildford re-think this.