HUNDREDS of patients at a GP surgery have been given a stay of execution after it was revealed more consultation will take place over plans for a merger.

Bosses at the Eastwood Group Practice have been looking to close the surgery at 346 Rayleigh Road and merge it with the Kent Elms Branch at 1 Rayleigh Road, Eastwood.

Public engagement events took place in April where more than 50 residents expressed their concerns with the closure.

However, due to the council elections and a snap general election earlier this year, proposals to close the surgery and move residents to the nearby Kent Elms branch and Belfairs branch were put on hold.

Bosses will now be restarting the process of informing patients and stakeholders along with the help of the Integrated Care Board Team.

Eastwood Park Lib Dem councillor, Paul Collins, said the surgery’s last consultation was “not satisfactory” and hopes they will do more to make residents aware during the new process.

He said: “It is the only surgery in the middle of the ward and closing it will makes people’s lives more difficult. I think they haven’t heard their patients enough.

“They didn’t do enough to make more people aware about this last time. They only put up notices in their surgery, hoping people will see them and they put it on their website which is not enough.

“I see their point of view of why they want to close it but I have to take care of my people.”

The group practice currently serves 15,000 people across their three sites with the Rayleigh road branch being the smallest among the three.

William Guy, director of primary care at NHS Mid and South Essex said: “No decision has been made to close the GP practice situated at 346 Rayleigh Road.

“Any closure of a branch surgery would be subject to the approval of an application made by the GP practice to the local NHS. Approval would be subject to full consideration of the impact such a closure would have on the registered patient population with the application evidencing feedback from local patients.

“Eastwood Group Practice is currently in the process of planning its patient engagement, and more information on how to provide feedback will be shared with patients in due course.”