Patients in revolt as hundreds mob meeting... to save village GP practice
FACED with the threat of losing their local GP practice, the villagers of Byfield knew that they had to make a stand.
Around 400 – almost a third of the village’s population – descended on a meeting where councillors were to discuss the surgery’s predicament.
It led officials to call in police to deal with scenes of ‘utter chaos’.
But people-power succeeded in winning a delay on a local authority planning decision that could result in the practice’s closure.
As well as the 1,300 residents of the Northamptonshire village, Byfield Medical Centre also serves another 34 villages and hamlets, including some in neighbouring Warwickshire and Oxfordshire. If the practice closes, residents face either a ten-mile journey to Banbury or eight miles in the opposite direction to Daventry in search of a GP.
Glenys Smith, landlady of Byfield’s Cross Tree Inn, was among the ‘ rowdy’ crowd who turned out to support the existing surgery’s plans to relocate to a purpose-built new site on the edge of the village.
She said: ‘There was only space for a few dozen villagers to be admitted to the meeting.
‘I was among the hundreds left outside. Feelings are running high over this – Byfield is an old community so it is vital that it has a GP surgery. We can’t expect those who can’t drive to be taking 25minute bus rides to the towns whenever they need to see a doctor, especially as there are rumours that the service to Daventry might be axed in the summer.
‘I’m 100 per cent in support of the new surgery.’ Byfield Medical Centre was built in 1982 to serve 4,000 patients, but the number on its roll now stands at 8,300. The surgery has lost two of its four GP partners during its two-year battle to relocate, and has been unable to recruit replacements because of its ‘cramped’ conditions and high patient numbers.
A local landowner has given the surgery a one-acre site with a covenant that the land must be used for development of a medical practice, as well as the promise of £1.25million towards the cost of the new building – to be funded by the proposed sale of neighbouring land to a housing developer.
But planners at Tory-run Daventry District Council have recommended that the surgery’s outline application for the new site, and the associated 78-home housing development, be turned down. This is due to concern over access arrangements to the new houses, and the potential impediment to views of open countryside.
However, the surgery warns that
‘If we can’t get new building, it’ll close’
without a new building to move to, the existing premises will ultimately have to close because staff ‘cannot cope’ with the volume of patients and lack of space.
Dr Rob Harvey, a senior partner at the surgery, said: ‘If we cannot secure a new building the centre will close, meaning that all 8,300 patients will have to access GP services elsewhere.’
Practice manager Tracey Rymer added: ‘We tend to offer most of our appointments on the day, so that those who are in most urgent need can see a doctor.
‘They go live at 8am – online and