On Friday evening I hosted a public meeting at The Metal Box about the closure of West Speke Health Centre. NHS Cheshire & Merseyside have announced that it will close its doors on March 31^st, but this will leave 2239 patients needing to be re-registered at  alternative surgeries.

The Tory Government’s Lansley Reforms require surgeries like West Speke to be competitively tendered every three years. This requires any potential GP to focus on financial viability rather than patient care. The average UK GP surgery has 6500 patients, West Speke has 2239. The surgery has been housed in a portacabin for many years after the proposed new building at The Crescent fell through.

We had to save the surgery four years ago and I’m organising a petition to let patients have their voices heard. This is the only health centre in the city being closed and is in one of the poorest areas with the most health needs. Residents deserve access to proper health care when they need it.