| A small, rural doctors’ surgery in North Cornwall – closed for two years because of Covid – might never reopen because of staff shortages.
The St Kew branch surgery is part of the Port Isaac practice – a fictional version of which, “Doc Martin,” has entertained television viewers since 2004.
A public consultation about formal closure plans is to be held on Friday 1st July at 6.30pm.
Prior to the Covid outbreak in 2020, the St Kew branch had offered two hours’ consultations by appointment on Mondays-Fridays.
The catchment area includes several neighbouring villages, with hundreds of potential patients now facing the prospect of travel to either Port Isaac, Camelford, Wadebridge or Bodmin.
The practice had originally hoped to be able to re-open the branch surgery, if it could put in place improvements to minimise the safety risk to staff and patients. Following reassessment of the site, it reached the conclusion that a number of important and unresolvable issues make this unachievable.
Says Dr Beth McCarron “This is not a decision we have taken lightly, and I’d like to reassure our St Kew patients that we have carefully considered the options. |
