A Hollingdean GP surgery is set to relocate a 20-minute walk away to Lewes Road and its current premises revert to a four-bedroom home.
The School House Surgery, Hertford Road said it would be moving to the new Preston Barracks development in November in a planning application submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council.
The surgery, party of Allied Medical Practice, says the current surgery, formerly a residential house, is too small.
However, NHS Sussex says the move is not set in stone, and if it does go ahead, will not happen this autumn.
A letter from Dr Richard Mitchell and Dr J.L. Thompson says that it “confirms” plans to move to a new medical centre at Preston Barracks, Lewes Road in November 2023.
However, NHS Sussex says these plans are in fact in early stages and that Allied Medical Practice is seeking future planning permission to convert and sell the building, should a proposed move go ahead.
The letter included in planning documents states: “The current surgery is too small to meet new required patient numbers and as it was originally a house does not have the desired layout and accessibility for all customer groups.”
The School House Surgery only has two patient rooms, alongside office spaces, a reception and a lobby.
There are four full time and six part-time staff at the School House premises.
A spokesperson for NHS Sussex, IC24 and Allied Medical Practice, said: “We can reassure patients at School House Surgery that there are no plans to move in November this year.
“There are longer term plans being considered by IC24 and Allied Medical Practice to move to a new medical centre at Preston Barracks on Lewes Road.
“These are at an early stage and no formal plans have been agreed.
“However in preparation, the School House Surgery building owner has recently applied for future planning permission to convert and sell the building, should a proposed move go ahead.
“The School House Surgery is a leased building and needs modernisation if it is to continue to provide high-quality care for patients.
“It is therefore being considered to move this surgery to the new medical centre on Lewes Road, which would mean the practice can offer better services that are fit for modern healthcare, from a purpose-built building.
“We had not yet notified or engaged with patients, due to uncertainty around the development’s completion date and no agreement yet being reached by the partners and the developers.
“However, we absolutely recognise the importance of working with our patients and a period of patient engagement is due to begin in September for patients to hear more about the opportunities at Preston Barracks, to share their views and ask any questions they have, including public transport links and facilities.
“An event is taking place on the 5 October 2023, for patients to come and speak to the practice team and hear more about the plans.
“Patients will be contacted directly with further details.”
Allied Medical Practice currently also operates Church Surgery on Lewes Road, which along with the Hertford Road site are both leased buildings.
Preston Barracks Medical Centre is currently still under development with no confirmed date of opening. It is expected that the building will be ready in early summer 2024.
The Preston Barracks site is an 18-minute walk from School House Surgery and a 5-minute walk from Church Surgery.
NHS Sussex said that plans to relocate will involve an Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (EHIA) will take place to assess any impact to patients with a disability or struggle to get to the new location.
They also say that there will be no interruption to patients’ access to GP services as a result of any proposed move and patients will not need to re-register.
You can read the full planning application on the council’s planning portal under the reference: BH2023/02059
Tricky for existing patients in Hollingdean to get to this new location. It is close by as the crow flies – but there is a railway line blocking roads that way. Requires two buses (changing at London Road) taking between 30 and 40 minutes.
If the 50U were reinstated this might help as would give a direct bus route. This should be part of the planning process/negotiations….
There’s another surgery I’ve looked at which has a similar situation as the crow flies being quite close, but the topography means that, by using public transport, can be an hour and a half if timed poorly.
A few solutions to these things from my research. One, better utilisation of pharmacy for minor ailments and conditions (coming soon with the first cohort of prescribing pharmacists). Two, running satellite clinics and drop-ins at community centres, churches, halls (think mobile vaccination, etc). Three, make more use of community paramedics for home visits (their bread and butter skillset, and already the bulk of ambulance workload). Four, online and phone consultation, where appropriate. And five, attracting more GPs.
It would be good if you could get to see the GP in the current surgery and the staff are very rude when you do request an appointment I would suggest some training for public facing duties.
You’d be more likely to see a clinician, and it doesn’t have to be a GP in a large majority of cases, in a larger premises, where more can work simultaneously of a day.
And on a bit of a pushback, and I’m sure this doesn’t apply to you, but the foulness that can come from patients in the community setting generally can be quite nasty indeed, further exacerbated because staff are not able to tell people when they are being unreasonable or rude themselves.
It’s a two way street.
Perhaps ask Brighton and Hove buses, if they could run a restricted service bus service, for some or part of surgery hours.
Fat chance of that happening!
There are a couple of things I find puzzling about this article:
1) How old is the letter referred to – Doctor Mitchell retired a couple of years ago…
2) I understood from a recent news item that all further construction on the barracks site had ceased due to the contractor having gone into administration. As another company taken over?
By the way there is a bridge under the railway line – I’ve walked from one surgery to the other in about 15 minutes.
A bridge ‘under’ a railway line????
I guess your talking about Moulsecoombe railway station!?
I guess your starting point is Crispin Way?
If so, then it’s going to be 15 mins.
But if you live in central Hollingdean, it certainly going to be a hour and half walking distance, nearly a quarter of a day wasted on just visiting and returning home from a GP’s surgery???
Absolutely no consideration for people that have trouble walking!
I moved here so could have a closer GP practice!.
So now, I’m right to square one!
Thanks NHS!
It would be useful if services were actually improved first.
Speaking to a locum from the North West of the country because it’s practically impossible to get a face to face with a GP in the surgery is shocking.
Physically entering the building to make an appointment to be told we can only deal with this by telephoning us. Unbelievable.
I actually ended up with Occupational Health on my back and was called a liar !!