This site is intended for health professionals only


Almost 4,000 patients without a surgery after single-handed practice closure

by Valeria Fiore
4 October 2018

Share this article

A GP practice in Coulsdon, South London will close permanently on 26 October as the practice’ sole owner is retiring, NHS Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has said.
 
The practice’s 3,700 patients have been informed of Dr Jamil Khan’s decision to retire after providing services from the practice for more than 34 years.
 
NHS Croydon CCG said that ‘different options to support the continued delivery of primary care services from the Coulsdon Medical Practice site’ had been discussed with Dr Khan.
 
However, ‘after considering all of the options available, regrettably the closure of the practice was the only solution’, the CCG said.
 
In a statement, the CCG added: ‘We would like to thank Dr Khan for his tenure at Coulsdon Medical Practice and wish him all the best in the future.’
 
The CCG sent a letter to patients with a list of practices that are currently accepting new patients and has arranged a series of drop-in sessions with local associations to help patients in their transition to a new practice. 
 
The practice was rated ‘inadequate’ after its most recent CQC inspection.
 
A report published by the CQC on 22 August said the practice had not made improvements since the last inspection, which means the CQC would have taken ‘action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating the service’.
 
Coulsdon Medical Practice declined to comment when approached by Management in Practice.
 
It is the third practice closing in the borough of Croydon in the last year, according to the CCG.
 
The other two practices are Heathfield Surgery and South Norwood Medical Centre. The former closed after it merged with East Croydon Medical Centre, which took on the practice’s 2,600 patients.
 
South Norwood Medical Centre also closed to merge with the Parchmore Medical Centre, after both its partners decided to retire. Parchmore Medical Centre took on its 2,700 patients.