FURIOUS former patients of the Sun Street surgery have had their say at a public inquiry into the decision to shut it without consultation.
The popular surgery was shut in July after long-serving GP Dr Lakha announced his retirement due to ill health.
West Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT) said that problems over the building’s lease and the inadequate state of facilities meant that closing it was the best option.
Despite heated public meetings and a grass roots campaign to save it, the surgery’s 2,000 patients were denied a say on it's future.
Epping Forest District Council asked the West Essex Area Forum to investigate the closure and, at its hearing, campaigner Joan Walsh said: "It felt good to know that this time we were actually being listened to by people who hadn't already dismissed what we thought, like the Primary Care Trust did.
"As we all predicted, the other surgeries in the town are now flooded with former Sun Street patients, I've heard several stories of people having to wait up to two weeks for a simple appointment, it really is disgraceful.
"The PCT thought they could do what they liked and just get away with it Scot free, well I hope they're about to learn a valuable lesson about listening to their patients."
Essex County Councillor Liz Webster who is chairing the review panel told the Guardian: "Personally after listening to all the evidence I feel the PCT could have looked at more options.
"There are a lot of empty shops in Sun Street, surely an option could have been to rent one of these for six months, using locum doctors to service this temporary surgery.
"This would have given the patients the much needed time to find a doctor of their choice.
"We were given a list from the PCT of the up to date transfers. The majority of patients have gone to the three other practices in Waltham Abbey – this must have over stretched all members of these practices.
"All patients records have to be placed on record, this alone is an enormous task."
The inquiry will continue next month.
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