Haverthwaite Surgery looks to move after eviction notice

Haverthwaite Surgery, which has a patient population of over 2,900, has published an open letter on its website by Dr Philip Edwards and Sarah Edwards. It has until the end of November 2023 before it has to vacate the premises.

The surgery has a wide geographical area covering patients living in western Windermere, Coniston and beyond.

The surgery already had plans to move as the doctors said that the building was no longer up to the standard set out by the mandatory Department of Health guidelines. 

MP Tim Farron has set up a petition calling on the ICB to support Haverthwaite Surgery moving into the proposed facility (Image: MP Tim Farron)

The letter said: "To protect our hardworking community surgery and continue with the provision of excellent primary care we have researched best solutions to future-proof our service given the current state of the building and its outdated facilities. 

"Early last year we entered discussions with a third party to develop an existing building with additional land within Haverthwaite. Architects have designed plans in accordance with NHS England to create a state-of-the-art surgery which would not only be bright, airy and physically accessible to all, but also environmentally friendly and energy efficient."

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Haverthwaite Surgery's future is now in the hands of the Lancashire and south Cumbria Integrated Care Board. It will need to either negotiate the rent and invest in the current building to bring it up to standard or commit finances to the new proposed property.

The ICB will arrange an open meeting in September to discuss options and the financial viability of each decision. It has also set up a survey for Haverthwaite Surgery patients to express their views on what should happen next. 

MP Tim Farron has created a petition calling on the ICB, which the surgery operates under, to relocate it to a new state-of-the-art facility. 

The proposal states: "We the undersigned call upon the ICB to look favourably on the proposal to relocate Haverthwaite Surgery, which is in a state of disrepair, to a new state-of-the-art facility, and to not disperse their patients to other local surgeries."

Dr Edwards said: "It is unlikely that a dispersal of our current patient population to over-stretched Ulverston practices will be raised, given the unquestionable need to retain a much-needed healthcare service central to this area." 

A spokesperson from the ICB said: "Providing an excellent standard of care and access to primary care services for the patients of Haverthwaite Surgery will always be our priority. In parallel to exploring medium to longer-term solutions, a number of short-term solutions are being progressed should the need arise. Both the practice and ICB wish to ensure the continuity of general practice services and minimise any disruption to patient care.”