An application to close a branch GP surgery located at 346 Rayleigh Road in Leigh on Sea has been approved following an application from Eastwood Group Practice.
NHS Mid and South Essex, the organisation that commissions healthcare services for residents across mid and south Essex, approved the decision at a recent Primary Care Commissioning Committee meeting on 12 March. The closing date for the Rayleigh Road branch surgery is 31 March 2025.
Eastwood Group Practice, which also operates the Kent Elms and Belfairs surgeries in Leigh on Sea, applied to close its branch surgery located at 346 Rayleigh Road to help consolidate staff and services in the remaining two sites. The proposal to move would enable the practice to improve access to a wider team of GP-led healthcare professionals, provide greater continuity of care for all patients, and allow the practice to introduce additional services.
We’d like to thank everyone that took the time to feedback about this proposal. We are committed to providing the best possible care for patients and strongly believe this decision will help improve efficiencies in our staffing, and ultimately enable us to expand our services and appointment levels.
Dr Satyan Lal, GP Partner at Eastwood Group Practice
The application to close the branch surgery followed a 10-month period of patient engagement starting in Spring 2024 and included the feedback received from registered patients and local stakeholders, as well as the practice’s Patient Participation Group (PPG) which works as a link between the practice and patients.
We are supportive of the move to close the Rayleigh Road branch. The age and size of the building make it very hard to deliver services and requires moving staff away from the better equipped facilities at Kent Elms and Belfairs. This closure will reduce the amount of time staff have to travel between sites to provide care and allow the practice to bring on more services.
Jenny Atkinson, Co-Chair of the Eastwood Group Practice Patient Participation Group (PPG)
The Rayleigh Road branch surgery will close on 31 March 2025. All patients will continue to be able to access services from Kent Elms and Belfairs surgeries from 1 April 2025.
Kent Elms and Belfairs surgeries are both accessible by public transport from Rayleigh Road.
We recognise that the closure of a premise can cause anxiety and would like to reassure patients that they will continue to be able to see a GP or other healthcare professional at the other sites and there is no need to re-register.
William Guy, Director of Primary Care at NHS Mid and South Essex