BEING able to see your family doctor is a vital part of our NHS. I am committed to the National Health Service and I want to support patients, doctors and other staff, which is why I am concerned about plans to shut Priory Avenue Surgery in Caversham and to offer patients places with other GPs, some of which are as far away as Tilehurst or Reading University.

The closure is a significant issue in Caversham and it is also an indication of the severe pressure on the NHS across Reading and Woodley, it demonstrates quite clearly that the service is not being adequately funded and supported by the Government.

I am due to meet NHS managers to raise these issues and to press for more funding and better support for local patients and doctors.

The 6,000 patients who currently use Priory Avenue have been told to apply to other surgeries and I’m concerned about the way that patients will have to move to other GPs and I want to know more about how funds are being provided to neighbouring practices, such as Balmore Park and Emmer Green Surgery, to see if they can expand.

I have asked whether patients will be guaranteed a place with another local GP, as a notice at Priory Avenue Surgery indicates that they are being encouraged to sign up with a range of other surgeries, including ones in Tilehurst and near Reading University. Both of these surgeries would require a significant bus journey or drive across Reading, something which may be difficult for many people with a chronic illnesses, a disability, or who are elderly or have young children. Yet these are the very groups of patients who are most frequently see their local GP.

In addition, I’m concerned about the apparent lack of consultation about this significant step.

I also want to raise the potential impact of the decision on other local surgeries which are also, like many around the country, having to manage with a growth in population and limited resources.

I believe these problems are not the fault of local NHS managers who are struggling to keep services running and I am pressing the Government to do more to provide the long term increase in funding which is clearly needed for local services as people live longer and important new treatments become available.