A health clinic in Southcote will close in July, following a review by a local NHS committee.
The Southcote Clinic, on Coronation Square, is a satellite clinic for the Longbarn Lane Surgery, a GP in South Reading.
There are 140 patients are registered at the Southcote site who will now either have to go to the main surgery three miles away or join another GP.
Southcote Clinic has historically offered patients a few sessions each week but, during the pandemic, these had temporarily stopped.
The surgery won approval to make this change permanent at a meeting of the Berkshire West Primary Care Commissioning Committee on April 14.
The clinic will close on July 1.
Southcote Clinic
In a letter to stakeholders in March, Helen Clark, the local director of primary care, said: “The restrictions around Covid mean GP services at the Southcote Clinic have not taken place since last March.
“During that time staff have been caring for patients either remotely or with consultations at Longbarn Lane which is part of the same practice.
“As Longbarn Lane Practice begin to plan services post-Covid, they are looking at the most efficient and effective ways of providing healthcare for the communities they serve, and they feel the best way forward is to consolidate medical services and support at Longbarn Lane Surgery.
“They are sending letters to patients who regularly attend Southcote Surgery outlining the proposals and inviting comments.
“Patients are being reassured that if the proposals went ahead there would continue to be the provision of a full range of services, including home visits, from Longbarn Lane.”
A handful of people replied to the consultation on the closure, according to Healthwatch Reading.
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Berkshire West Clinical Commissioning Group is now writing to all patients informing them of the decision. Patients have the option of finding another GP practice if that is more convenient to them.
Longbarn Lane Surgery
Longbarn Lane Surgery has around 6,859 patients and is currently rated as a ‘good’ GP surgery by the national inspection body, the Care Quality Commission.
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