WORRIED residents turned out in force to oppose plans to permanently close a village doctor’s surgery – with fears vulnerable patients will get left behind.

Fell View Healthcare announced last week that it would be lodging an application with NHS England to permanently close Frizington Surgery – due to a shortage of GPs.

The decision has caused uproar among residents and a heated public meeting was held at St Joseph’s Church Hall in Frizington on Monday night.

Members of the public quizzed staff from North Cumbria Primary Care Alliance (NCPC), which was created in 2019 and runs Frizington Surgery, as well as three practices in Whitehaven and others in Cleator Moor, Egremont, Seascale and Bootle.

Mike Hunter, locality lead for Copeland at NCPC, said that they had “consistently struggled” to recruit and retain GPs in their surgeries.

He told the meeting: “This isn’t a problem that’s unique to us. There’s a national shortage of GPs.

“The situation is worse for us in west Cumbria. It’s not easy but it’s significantly easier to recruit GPs in Carlisle than it is in Whitehaven and Workington.

“We have seen a number of GPs leave all of our practices over a number of years. The numbers are reducing and demands on the service are increasing. People are living longer, with more complex medical conditions. We have just come out of Covid.

“Fundamentally, the challenge that we have, is the number of GPs. It’s reached a point where we can’t deliver safe and effective services to all of those sites. This why we have made the decision to close the branch surgery in Frizington.”

One concerned resident asked why Frizington had been chosen to close and said it would be a “four-hour round trip” for people who use public transport to get to the Egremont surgery instead.

She said: “Would you want a four-hour round trip, to take two buses to Egremont, two buses to get back, it’s probably pouring down, do you think that’s keeping your patients safe? Because I don’t. It’s an absolute disgrace.”

Mr Hunter replied that Frizington has the smallest patient population.

Tony Pearce, who has set up a petition against the decision, said: “There’s an awful lot of the older population and young parents who have no transport. How can you justify closing one surgery and not the other?

“It’s a village that’s growing by the minute. Your patient population is going to grow, if that’s open.”

A concerned lung specialist nurse at West Cumberland Hospital, who attended the meeting, said: “The needs of the community are meant to be met by primary care. What you’re doing is changing that to meet the demands that you can offer. Where is your duty of care?”

Mr Hunter said: “We have a duty of care to our patients and a duty to provide safe and effective services. It is a huge challenge for us.”

The nurse then replied: “I understand what it’s like trying to provide the needs of a service to an ever aging population. But what you can’t do is leave a vulnerable group out.

“This is a socially economic deprived area. They haven’t got the means and the ends to travel like you are asking them to. We have to protect vulnerable patients in our community, not leave them behind.”

Another worried resident said: “I don’t see why the elderly, disabled and disadvantaged people of Frizington, who have no alternative, should lose their practice.

“If you’ve got three practices in Whitehaven and you’re going to sacrifice Frizington, that is completely wrong. It won’t stop with the practice in Frizington. Boots will go as well, so there won’t be a chemist and that is unacceptable.

”The blame, organisationally, is with you, but the ultimate problem is with the Government.”

Other residents were concerned at the lack of public consultation before the decision was made and how patients had been informed of the proposed closure, with many finding out from other people. Copeland MP Trudy Harrison said: “I echo the concerns of the community at the proposal to close Fellview Healthcare’s branch in Frizington.

“Although I was unable to attend last night’s public meeting, two members of my team attended on my behalf and have fed back to me on the significant strength of feeling in the community, and the valid and widespread concerns that were raised. Additionally, I have been contacted by a number of residents directly to express their concerns.

“I am also disappointed to learn that patients have been notified of the closure proposals only by text message or email, which has a resulted in the information not reaching a number of patients, including a percentage of those in attendance last night.

“I intend to request a meeting with the management at North Cumbria Primary Care at the earliest opportunity, and following the meeting and if a suitable solution is not reached, I will formally lodge an objection to the proposals.”

Mrs Harrison encouraged all patients of Fellview Healthcare to formally respond to the engagement process by completing a survey at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/Frizington To sign the petition to save Frizington Surgery, go to: www.change.org/p/save-frizington-surgery