The Hextable Surgery will become a branch of Cedars Surgery, Swanley, on Tuesday, 1 September 2020. A merger of the two practices was agreed as the best way forward for patients at a meeting of the CCG’s Primary Care Commissioning Committee on Thursdau, 20 August 2020.
Patients’ views were sought over several weeks prior to the meeting and feedback was considered by committee members before making their decision.
The GPs currently running Hextable Surgery, Dr Anand Muthappan and Dr Stephen Langley, both retire later this year. Cedars Surgery will take over care of most of the 4,000 patients registered at Hextable Surgery.
What happens now?
Most patients do not need to take any action; their care will transfer automatically to Cedars Surgery when the Hextable GPs leave. Patients will be able to contact the Hextable Surgery in the same ways as usual.
Around seven to eight per cent of registered patients fall outside of the catchment area of Cedars and Hextable surgeries and they will need to register at a GP practice close to their home. Kent and Medway CCG will contact patients who live within its boundary to discuss options for their future GP care. Patients living outside the Kent and Medway CCG boundary will need to register at another practice close to where they live.
All patients have the right to request to register with a GP practice of their choice if they fall within its catchment boundary.
Primary care services, such as GP appointments, prescriptions and routine health checks and immunisations will continue to be available to all patients at both Hextable and Cedars surgeries. This means patients living in Hextable can continue to access GP services in the village.
Best outcome possible
Cathy Finnis, Acting Chair of the Primary Care Commissioning Committee, said: “We looked at the feedback from patients and we are confident that merging Hextable Surgery with Cedars Surgery was the best outcome possible. We understand there may be concerns about how services will operate in future and how resources will be shared between the two sites but we are working closely with Cedars to ensure that services are delivered effectively, and that we have the right number of staff in place to offer the range of services in both places.
“I would like to thank all patients who took the time to let us know their views ahead of our meeting, as this played a big part in helping us make our decision.”
Find out more
Further information is available in our questions and answers document and the practice websites: