Closure threat to Hartlepool medical centre 'isn't about saving money'

Hartfields Medical Centre, at Bishop Cuthbert, reopened to patients in January after previously being temporarily shut since mid-March 2020 due to Covid-19

Yet operator McKenzie Group Practice is still looking at potentially applying for permission to permanently close it and consolidate services at its other sites.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s audit and governance committee has received an update from the practice as part of a second round of engagement over the site’s future.

This process is “looking more closely at the impact of a possible permanent closure, whilst also exploring alternatives to the branch being fully open or closed”.

Dr Carl Parker, from The McKenzie Practice, said: “Nothing is off the table, no decision has been made what-so-ever. It’s around engaging and listening and then we will make our business cases.

“It is fundamentally not about increasing profit. This isn’t about us saving money, there is no money, if any decisions were to be made, to be saved.

“Everything, there are no plans for redundancies or anything like that, we’re actually advertising for more staff.”

He added they have already used feedback from their first round of engagement to improve services while more staff have been recruited.

Representatives on behalf of Hartlepool’s MP Jill Mortimer read a statement at the meeting stressing the importance of the Hartfields practice remaining open.

She said: “There is clearly demand for Hartfields and I’m aware other practices feel the centre is viable.

“The key to addressing health disparities in our community is early diagnosis and preventive medical intervention, this should be provided by accessible GP services and this is why I believe Hartfields is desperately needed.”

Labour’s Cllr Rachel Creevy added: “I think it’s really important that it’s not closed and clearly the residents don’t want it to be closed.”

The public engagement is being carried out collaboratively between Tees Valley CCG and McKenzie Group over an eight-week period and ends on July 3.

An independent report will then be compiled to determine what the practice puts forward next.

Any future significant material change proposed would then have to go to a formal consultation period.

Residents can take part in the engagement at https://www.wynyardandhartfields.co.uk/page1.aspx?p=15&t=1.