The closure of Garlinge GP surgery, expected to take place by May 31, has been postponed – possibly by up to a year.
Last month patients of the branch were sent letters to say NHS Thanet Clinical Commissioning Group had received an application from The Limes Medical Centre – which runs the branch – to close the Garlinge branch surgery.
The Limes said the premises were no longer suitable and a search for an alternative property had not been fruitful.
The Garlinge surgery, in Canterbury Road, had previously been proposed for closure in 2016 after the retirement of Dr Sohanpol but The Limes then took over the running of the site.
Now the CCG says there will be further appraisal work before any closure – which could take up to a year.
A spokesman said: “We have listened to patient feedback and we would therefore like to apologise for the uncertainty and inconvenience caused and let patients know that we are continuing to explore options for how we provide GP services going forward at Garlinge.
“Until a detailed options appraisal has been undertaken, which addresses patient concerns, the Garlinge branch surgery will not be closing. We anticipate that this work will take time and anticipate that this could take up to a year.
“We are committed to making sure we have a comprehensive consultation plan in place to allow patients to express their views on options as they emerge and we will be working with our Patient Participation Group (PPG) to ensure this happens.”
A spokesman for The Limes Medical Centre said: “The Limes Medical Centre is looking forward to working closely with Thanet CCG to look at the forward options for service provision.
“We welcome the support to continue to provide services at the Garlinge Branch Surgery for our patients and appointments will continue to be offered across both Garlinge Surgery and The Limes Medical Centre.”
