THE recent announcement that Abbotsbury Road and Chickerell Surgeries are to close is a shock to the local community and the 9,000 patients currently registered with this practice.

Is this a foretaste of our collapsing NHS and subsequent privatisation by stealth?

If Abbotsbury Road Surgery cannot attract enough GPs to offer a safe level of treatment and support, is there any realistic hope that the other surgeries in the area can recruit sufficient GPs to cover the additional 9,000 ‘new’ patients wishing to register, one seventh of the population of Weymouth.

Furthermore, with the extensive building programme to the west of Weymouth this number could easily rise to 12,000 in the very near future.

Sadly, over the past 10 years, political decisions of austerity, reduction in NHS funding, failure to plan for and recruit sufficient medical students, unrealistic GP workloads and the increase demand on services due to a rise in poverty, life expectancy and mental health issues have resulted in surgeries across the country having to close due to recruitment problems. Today it is happening in Weymouth.

The Abbotsbury Road Surgery is a well resourced building capable of continuing to meet the needs of the local population.

Surely it is the responsibility of the CCG and the current partners to work together to try to save this valued resource for our community.

ANDY COSTELLO

Milton Road,

Weymouth