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Thousands told to find new GP in a week after practice closes 'without warning'

Monday, 1 February 2021 16:55

By Charlotte Green, Local Democracy Reporter @CharGreenLDR

Thousands of Oldham residents have been told they have seven days to find a new GP after a practice suddenly closed 'without warning'.

Donald Wilde Medical Centre (pictured) has shut abruptly and its patients now need to register at new GP practices in the borough.

More than 5,000 patients were registered at the Rochdale Road practice, which was rated ‘good’ in all areas by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) during its last inspection in 2018.

Now ‘urgent but temporary’ arrangements have been put in place for patients to have GP services delivered by another provider.

One resident complained on Twitter that their ‘doctors have closed in the middle of a pandemic’.

In a letter to patients, dated January 29, Oldham’s clinical commissioning group (CCG) said they were ‘sorry to inform you’ that the contract holders are ‘no longer able to provide GP services to you or deliver these services from the practice’.

The practice website is still live, with no message that it has closed, and states it also operates as a University of Manchester teaching site. 

However the centre is now listed as ‘archived’ on the CQC website, meaning that it is no longer a registered active practice.

It is not clear why the practice has closed at such short notice.

A spokesperson for the Oldham CCG said they had come to a ‘mutual agreement’ with the GPs who hold the contract to ‘terminate their contract, in accordance to their business wishes’.

“Also, the building is not currently registered by the Care Quality Commission, so GP services cannot be delivered from this premises at this time,” they added.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this causes registered patients, but temporary measures have been put in place, and until Friday, February 5 2021 GP services (including repeat prescriptions) are still available to registered patients via IGP Care Ltd via the existing practice telephone number which will automatically divert to IGP Care.

“Patients will need to register at an alternative practice by Friday, February 5 2021.

“Patients who already have appointments booked will be contacted to reschedule at an alternative site, date and time.

“From today (Friday), patients will receive a letter informing them of these changes and also the locations and contact details of other GP practices close to Donald Wilde Medical Centre for them to contact.”

Oldham and Royton MP Jim McMahon tweeted he had not received ‘a briefing or any warning’ about the closure of the practice.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’ve been contacted by a number of concerned constituents on Friday and over the weekend about the closure of Donald Wilde Medical Centre, and my office will be following up with the CCG to make sure that those who need support in finding a new GP get it.

“It’s imperative at the moment that no one slips through the net and all those in the priority groups for vaccinations continue to be contacted and booked in for their appointments.”

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