Around 300 people attended a public meeting on Tuesday, July 14, after months of uncertainty over the future of the Billinge Medical Practice, which is leaving its current home in Billinge after the landlords decided put the building up for sale.
At the meeting, the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) confirmed the practice will permanently relocate to Garswood Health Centre – a revelation that many patients said came as a shock because they believed the move would be temporary while a long-term solution in Billinge was found.
The decision has sparked a growing campaign, with St Helens North MP David Baines raising the issue with health minister Stephen Kinnock in Parliament last week, while Makerfield MP Andy Burnham – who became Prime Minister on Monday, July 20 – has pledged to do “all I can” to secure improved healthcare provision for affected residents.
Among those concerned is Jan Kelly, 56, who says she owes a great deal to Billinge Medical Practice itself.
Mrs Kelly has been a patient for around 15 years and remembers when the surgery was “on its knees”. She said everything changed when practice partner Erika Howell took over, transforming what had been a struggling surgery into one she now describes as “above and beyond”.
She believes that turnaround ultimately saved her husband’s life.
“To say Erika turned the ship around is an understatement – it was like raising the Titanic,” she said.
Jan Kelly with her husband Andy – both patients of Billinge Medical Practice (Image: Jan Kelly)
“My husband rang one morning with breathlessness and fatigue, got a same-day appointment, and the GP took it seriously. That was how we discovered he had blood cancer.
“I firmly believe that doctor, who wouldn’t have been there if Erika hadn’t turned the practice around, saved my husband’s life.”
Mrs Kelly said she was devastated by the decision to relocate it permanently out of the village.
“I was heartbroken,” she said.
“I look after about five pensioners in the village. They’re in conniptions about this move – they are so anxious and stressed. Every one of them asks, ‘How am I going to get there?’
“I look after a 90-year-old lady who lives behind the current practice. Are they really expecting a 90-year-old woman to get a bus to another village when she’s ill?
“The buses only run until half past three. Nobody seems to have considered the transport issues.”
She also fears “proud” older residents will stop seeking help altogether.
“I also worry that proud older people won’t ask for lifts and could miss appointments,” she said.
“If more vulnerable patients need home visits, that puts pressure on the practice because one home visit can take the time of several surgery appointments.”
Marian Kelly, 72, has been registered with the practice for almost four decades and is currently receiving treatment for cancer.
She does not drive, adding: “I do rely on having a GP close by.”
Speaking about how she plans to get to the new location in Garswood, she said: “I’d probably have to use a taxi, but that’s another expense.
“My two sons work full-time in other areas. I can’t expect them to take time off work to drive me every time.”
Like many people at last week’s meeting, she said she believed Garswood would only be a temporary base.
“I was shocked because I’d been under the impression Garswood was only temporary until something permanent was found in Billinge,” she said.
Billinge Medical Practice (Image: Stock)
“I don’t feel anybody asked me how I’d cope.
“I don’t think transport has been properly taken into account, and disabled people are being disadvantaged.”
Mrs Kelly said the practice had supported her family through some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
“When my youngest son had cancer as a toddler, having the GP nearby made a huge difference,” she said.
“When my husband was dying at home, the GPs visited every day and arranged nursing care.
“That’s the level of support people are worried about losing.”
The concerns are shared by Billinge Medical Practice’s Patient Participation Group.
Co-chair Darren Gilchrist said the confirmation that the relocation would be permanent prompted “a palpable gasp” from around 300 people gathered at last week’s meeting.
He said many residents believed Garswood would be a temporary measure before a permanent home was found in Billinge.
Mr Gilchrist said the group now intends to challenge the process, arguing patients were not properly consulted before the decision was made, and wants the ICB to restart discussions with patients and community leaders.
The ICB said the practice had informed patients of the eviction notice in March, held two public meetings and considered feedback from patients, including a survey carried out by the Patient Participation Group, as part of the options appraisal process.
A spokesperson for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB said: “Following the landlords’ decision to sell the current building, a review of suitable future premises options for Billinge Medical Practice has now been completed and a proposal approved to relocate practice services to the first floor of Garswood Health Centre.
“Our collective priority is to maintain accessible, safe and stable primary care services – preserving continuity of care for patients”
“Garswood Health Centre is a high standard, purpose-built facility, and this relocation will enable Billinge Medical Practice to continue to provide high levels of service for patients.
“We will work closely with the practice to ensure that patients are engaged and supported in relation to this relocation and are committed to ongoing assessment and evaluation of the move – to ensure patient and practice needs are met.
“We would like to thank patients for their understanding during this process.”
Responding to concerns raised by patients, the spokesperson added that copies of the business case and Equality Impact Assessment have now been shared with the Patient Participation Group.
They said: “We will continue to work closely with the practice to listen to, address and mitigate patient worries and concerns regarding access and travel as part of the mobilisation plan.
“We recognise the strength of feeling regarding the future provision of services in Billinge and are committed to ongoing assessment and evaluation of this relocation to ensure patient and practice needs are met.”