The “dilapidated” Peterborough surgery still closed after two years

Patients said they have endured high taxi fares to see a GP two years after their local surgery was temporarily closed for structural repair work.

Parnwell Medical Center in Saltersgate, Peterborough, which has 1,700 registered patients, has not reopened since 2022.

Dr Laliwala and Partners, which runs the surgery, said it was affected by setting problems but that patients would be informed the timeline for the work needed.

Eastern Division Labor Councilor Dr Shabina Asad Qayyum, who is also a GP, called the ongoing closure “unacceptable and ridiculous”, and said attempts had been made to contact surgery owners.

Patients have been asked to book appointments with other surgeries, including Ailsworth Medical Center and Newborough, with some travel costs of £40.

Patient Lee Taylor, who has lived in Parnwell for 23 years, said the situation left him “unhappy and angry”.

He said both his daughter and an elderly neighbor were told they could not take part in the Nightingale training and that Ailsworth was the only option for them, causing “huge inconvenience”.

“My neighbor couldn’t afford the taxi fare so she stayed at home and has since had a chest infection,” he said.

“People who need to see a doctor have to shell out money. It’s not fair.

“It doesn’t take two years to fix a crack.”

Mr Lee – and another resident, Rahul Dhonde – chose to re-register with a new surgery in Peterborough.

Mr Dhonde said he initially struggled to find a GP for his unwell child after the surgery closed.

He said his wife had to keep taking their children to Ailsworth by taxi, which was affecting the family.

“I’ve since changed practices and moved to one downtown,” he said.

“I have a young child and just couldn’t wait any longer.”

Dr Qayyum, who is also a GP, said: “As Peterborough City Council’s cabinet member for adult social care and public health, I say it is absolutely unacceptable that we do not have the right infrastructure to serve an ever-growing population, particularly areas like Parnwell which have mobile park homes and older populations.

“The operation is now derelict. And buildings like these then become havens for anti-social behaviour. Discarded needles have been seen outside.

“If the doctor in question does not want to keep the building, inform the NHS. But we need answers.”

A spokesman for NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough said it understood the closure of Parnwell Medical Center was frustrating for local people.

“Since the operation was initially closed due to subsidence causing safety concerns on site, we continue to maintain regular contact with the exercise team and offered our support on a regular basis,” they said.