Patients that discovered their GP was working almost 300 miles away from their surgery after relocating to Cornwall have slammed it as "outrageous".
Dr Justine Hall, one of three doctors working at Rudgwick Medical Centre in Horsham, West Sussex, now conducts consultations online after moving to Falmouth, around 265 miles away.
The surgery’s website stated: "Dr Justine Hall grew up nearby in Godalming and attended Guildford High School before studying medicine at the University of Southampton.
"She worked in Hampshire and Dorset in hospital roles before becoming a GP partner in Fareham. She moved back to Guildford in 2015 and has been working locally ever since."
The Telegraph this week reported that Dr Hall was in fact working from the other side of the country.
However, a spokesperson for Rudgwick Medical Centre said that when the doctor decided to relocate and they struggled to recruit, the decision was made that she would stay on as a "part time, remote GP" to provide care and continuity to patients.
CornwallLive called the surgery to speak to Dr Hall or one of her colleagues and was greeted by a phone message saying "This is Dr Hall" who then went on to say that the surgery was "experiencing very high demand for our services".
An anonymous patient told The Telegraph she thought it was “outrageous” that Dr Hall was able to continue working from the other side of the country.
She said: "I was staggered when I was told she had moved to Cornwall . They are only offering remote appointments. For some diagnoses you need to see someone, and yet they think it's ok to have the number two doctor in the practice living in Cornwall.
"It's just outrageous."
The newspaper reported that Dr Hall had recently commented on Facebook about the closure of Ships and Castles swimming pool in Falmouth.
Another patient, Olivia Shepley, said: “We were told Dr Hall had moved to Cornwall by a friend. I can’t believe there is a GP on staff who is living in another part of the country - that’s not treatment.”
A spokesman for Rudgwick Medical Centre said: “At Rudgwick Medical Centre, our priority is to provide the best possible care to our patients in a variety of ways that suit our patients’ needs and preferences.
“Face-to-face appointments with GPs are only one part of the large range of services we offer our patients, as some prefer to have an online or phone appointment to fit around other arrangements.
“There are currently two GPs working permanently at the surgery along with locum GPs who all provide face-to-face appointments, as well as Dr Hall, who provides remote consultations two days per week.
"With years of experience caring for patients in Sussex, Dr Hall previously worked at the practice and when she decided to relocate and we struggled to recruit Dr Hall stayed on as a part time, remote GP to provide care that could be provided in this way and continuity to our patients.
“When patients need a face-to-face appointment, there are many options available for them to see a GP face-to-face and receive the most appropriate care for their needs.”
