Ludlow 'satellite surgery' call in battle to keep GP

Campaigners fighting to keep a medical practice in Ludlow town centre have claimed a 'satellite' surgery could be the way forward.

Joyce Brand, of the Save A Ludlow Town Surgery group, said it was 'essential' to make sure doctors had a presence in the town centre once the new £27 million hospital opens in 2014.

She also said 800 people had signed a petition calling for a doctor's surgery to be maintained.

It comes after Ludlow MP Philip Dunne claimed any bid to keep a town centre surgery could potentially jeopardise plans to build a new hospital on Ludlow Eco-Business Park off the A49 on the outskirts of the town.

The new hospital is being built to replace out-dated facilities at the town's current community hospital on Gravel Hill.

In a written statement to Ludlow Town Council, Mr Dunne also said he had been told by healthcare professionals that a satellite surgery with reduced staffing was 'impractical'.

Under proposals for the hospital, the town's Portcullis and Station Drive surgeries would move from the town centre.

Mrs Brand called on town councillors to decide where they stand at a meeting of the authority at Ludlow Mascall Centre last night. But councillors have deferred making a decision until they have discussed the issue with healthcare experts next month.

Mrs Brand said: "People signed the petition because they believed a doctors surgery was an essential part of a community. I live among a group of people who would not be able to get to the new surgeries without paying for taxis or using public transport – neither of which fit with our desire not to spoil the environment in which we live."

In his statement Mr Dunne warned: "Everyone needs to understand the implications of what they are seeking – keeping a surgery in the town centre risks losing a new hospital."

By Peter Kitchen