Closure-threatened Hartlepool medical centre to remain open until at least summer

Hartfields Medical Centre, at Bishop Cuthbert in Hartlepool, reopened to patients last month after previously being temporarily shut since mid-March 2020 following the Coivd-19 pandemic outbreak.

Operator McKenzie Group Practice is, however, still looking at applying to health chiefs to permanently close it and consolidate services at its other sites.

It was ruled a second stage of engagement, after an initial round last year, would first take place, looking at how patients use the site and potential future plans.

This was due to begin in January and last for 10 weeks.

But health chiefs, speaking at a meeting of Hartlepool Borough Council’s audit and governance committee, has now confirmed it will now not begin until after the May local elections.

Karen Hawkins, from Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group, which has to approve any closure, said, since the site is now open, that patients will not be “negatively impacted” by the delay.

She said: “No decision will be taken in relation to the Hartfields site until full engagement activity has been undertaken and a full business case is presented.”

The delay is to ensure the consultation is “robust” and does not clash with purdah – the pre-election period which starts at the end of March - when specific restrictions on communications from civil servants are active.

Ms Hawkins added: “If there is any risk, we will not undertake any engagement consultation during the purdah period.”

Organisations are to meet later this month to determine future timelines for engagement while work continues on how it will be carried out.

Dr Carl Parker, from The McKenzie Practice, said: “We very much want the engagement to be as robust as it possibly can be, to get the information that we need to inform us of where we go from there and generate the next proposals.”

The consultation had been scheduled to begin on January 14 and end in March with recommendations made in May or June.

Councillors estimated it would now be “July or August” before they receive any engagement results.

Around 2,200 patients would be affected by any permanent closure.