The fight to save a Tuebrook medical centre threatened by closure has been raised in Parliament.
Thousands of patients at Park View Medical Centre could be transferred to alternative locations after it was confirmed NHS Cheshire and Merseyside integrated care board (ICB) had been unable to find a new provider to keep the surgery open.
Despite a lengthy campaign, the ICB said earlier this year, a tender process had been unsuccessful and a decision had been made to close Park View at the end of its current contract.
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In a bid to secure support to keep the surgery open, Ian Byrne, Labour MP for West Derby has tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons. Tweeting the text of the motion, he said: "As well as the superb community campaign to save Park View Medical Centre in Tuebrook we have taken the fight to Parliament and have received the backing of every Liverpool MP for our Early Day motion to Parliament opposing the proposed closure."
Mr Byrne’s motion called on the House to note with “deep concern” the proposed closure and recognise “he medical centre has been at the centre of the community for decades and provides vital primary care services to constituents in one of the most deprived areas of Liverpool. It added a call for the Department of Health to support the wishes of the local community and to take all steps available to keep the Park View Medical Centre open to “protect the health and wellbeing of the whole community and future generations.”
The motion has been supported by Mr Byrne’s Merseyside Labour colleagues including Paula Barker, Maria Eagle, Kim Johnson, Dan Carden and Sir George Howarth. Wirral MPs Margaret Greenwood and Mick Whitley have also indicated their signatures in solidarity alongside former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Cheshire MP Mike Amesbury.
A spokesperson for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said: “In 2022, we ran a procurement process to find new providers for a number of fixed-term GP practice contracts, including Park View Medical Centre, as these time-limited contracts were coming to an end in March 2023.
“We were committed to finding new providers for these services, but unfortunately we were not able to secure a provider for Park View Medical Centre. We explored a number of options to keep the practice running, but unfortunately none of these have been viable, and our priority now must be to make sure that patients continue to have access to good local GP services from 1st August.
“We are writing to everyone registered with Park View Medical Centre, letting them know which GP practice they will be transferred to. We’ve worked closely with other local GP practices to ensure that patients are given a place at the practice closest to their home address. The letter patients receive will include details of a phoneline and drop-in session for anyone with further questions.”
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