Following recent patient engagement events about the future of the Rowans Surgery, NHS South West London has taken the decision to close the practice on 31 October 2022.
NHS South West London has explored every practical option to keep the surgery open, but believes this is the only way to ensure people receive services that are safe and high quality.
All patients registered at the practice will receive a letter shortly asking them to register with a new local GP surgery of their choice, before the closing date. The letter includes the details of the closest surgeries, as well as their websites and phone numbers, which can also be found online.
Patients have been urged, if they take regular medication, to make sure they ask the Rowans Surgery for an adequate supply before registering with a new surgery, to avoid any disruption to access to medication during the registration period.
If patients have queries or concerns, or are having difficulty re-registering, they can contact the South West London Primary Care Team either by email at [email protected] or by telephone on 020 3880 0265.
Why is the practice closing?
The current GP partners who run the surgery hold a contract with NHS South West London which is coming to an end. There have been difficulties recruiting GPs and nurses over many years which has impacted on the quality of care.
Staffing issues have meant services needed to be provided by other local practices and the lead GP, who oversees care at the practice, has given notice of their resignation.
In addition, there are longstanding problems with the building which is not fit for purpose. A new health centre will be built at Rowan Park, but it will not open for two to three years. Services from the new centre will be led by GPs and other local GP practices will have the option to use it as a branch site and to deliver other primary care-based services, such as social prescribing. However, there will not be a GP practice based there.
Support available for the most vulnerable
As part of the Rowans Surgery contract coming to an end, the practice will lead on identifying vulnerable registered patients and reaching out to offer support. The East Merton Primary Care Network will support this work through their team of care coordinators.
NHS South West London will meet the practice weekly to check on progress – such as where people are registering and numbers yet to re-register – and review arrangements for the most vulnerable. The practices where people register will receive additional funding to ensure patients get the support they need as well as an increase in their overall funding based on the number of patients they serve.
As the contract comes to an end, anyone who remains registered with the Rowans Surgery, will be registered directly with a new practice they are within the catchment area of. Their new practice will make contact to offer a health check.
What we’ve heard from patients
The key themes of the feedback we received on the proposals are below. You can read the full report on the recent engagement events, as well as the phone calls and emails received here.
- Quality of services, capacity at surrounding practices and delays to new build – we heard people’s frustrations about the quality of services, as well as the delays to the new build. We believe these changes will improve the GP services people receive. The surrounding practices have confirmed they have capacity to take on extra patients. Practices would recruit additional staff if required based on the number of people registered. We are committed to the Rowan Park development and are making every effort to ensure it opens as soon as possible.
- Support for the most vulnerable – concerns were raised about the most vulnerable patients and there were questions about how they would be supported with the registration process. Members of staff will identify the most vulnerable people and contact them directly to support them to register elsewhere. Translation, dial-a-ride and home visiting services will continue to be available – people should contact the practice they are registering with if they need help.
- Refurbishing the current premises – people also questioned why the existing premises could not be refurbished. This is not possible because of the funding arrangements and also because the building itself is no longer fit for purpose for modern healthcare (due to the type of construction). Local NHS bodies rely on external sources of funding for building projects because the majority of annual budgets are spent on delivering services. There is funding available for the new health centre as part of a Section 106 Agreement with the London Borough of Merton and housebuilder Crest Nicholson who constructed the nearby Rowan Park residential development. The health centre will also include community facilities and a scout hall and is estimated to open in 2024/25.