NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is asking for patients’ views on the future of Hextable Surgery, when the two GPs who run the practice, Dr Anand Muthappan and Dr Stephen Langley, retire later this year. The CCG is responsible for making sure all patients that live in its area are able to access primary medical care services.
In response to the notice Drs Muthappan and Langley have given of their intention to leave the practice, there is a proposal that the Hextable Surgery becomes part of the Cedars Surgery in Swanley.
The CCG is in discussion with the Cedars Surgery about the possibility of taking on Hextable Surgery as a branch surgery, operating from the existing premises at 31a Main Road, Hextable so patients can continue to access care in the village.
The Cedars main surgery at Swanley Centre, Swanley, is about 1.5 miles away and accessible by public transport.
More than 4,000 patients are registered at Hextable Surgery. The majority of these patients fall within the Cedars Surgery catchment boundary and their care would automatically transfer to the Cedars Surgery list. This means they could receive GP services at Cedars Surgery or at the Hextable Surgery. They could also request to register with another nearby practice if they preferred.
About 16 per cent of the patients registered at Hextable that fall outside of the Cedars boundary will be allocated to another practice in Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley, nearer to where they live. Patients will still have the right to register at a practice of their choice. Patients living outside the Kent and Medway CCG boundary will be able to register at another practice close to where they live.
The CCG has been holding discussions with the Hextable Surgery Patient Participation Group (PPG) about the future of Hextable Surgery for some time. The PPG is supportive of Hextable Surgery becoming a branch surgery of Cedars Surgery.
PPG Chair Tony Searles said: “We have had meetings around the future of the practice and what patients and residents wanted. We felt the main objective was to maintain the presence of a surgery in Hextable. That is why we have pushed for Cedars Surgery to take the practice under their wing as a branch surgery as it gives current patients the best of both worlds.”
A real plus would be access to a female doctor as well as a range of other medical services. Cedars Surgery is committed to working with the CCG to try to maintain primary care services in Hextable.
The CCG has considered other options for the future of Hextable Surgery but currently a merger with Cedars Surgery is the preferred way forward. The other options would be:
- closure of the practice, with patients dispersing to other nearby GP practices
- recruitment of new GPs to run Hextable Surgery
- finding a new provider (healthcare company or organisation) to run the practice
The CCG is seeking patients’ comments on the future of Hextable Surgery before a final decision is made. If you have any views, please email kmccg.helpline@nhs.net or the PPG Chair tony.searles@textit.co.uk by 7 August 2020. Patients can also contact their practice directly for more information. A decision on the future of Hextable Surgery will be made at a meeting of the CCG’s Primary Care Commissioning Committee on 20 August.