Medical practice cannot cope with 120 homes warns doctor

Audlem Medical Practice warns it could be forced to close its patient list if plans to build 120 new homes get the go-ahead.

In a formal objection to the Gladman proposals, Dr Russell Muirhead says patient numbers at the Audlem practice are now at their limits.

In a letter to Cheshire East Council commenting on plans to build a new housing estate at Little Heath Dr Muirhead warns: "Our physical capacity is now at its limit. We already have to hot-desk to provide services. Any significant increase in the local population will exceed our capacity. We would be forced to close our list i.e. unable to accept any new patients at all."

Audlem Medical Practice currently has 4,500 patients on its books and the equivalent of 2.3 full-time GPs, significantly above the national average.

The current premises were built in 1992 but the workload since then has almost trebled and there are no plans to expand the Audlem facility .

Dr Muirhead said that if the practice was forced to close its patient list then anyone asking to be registered would have to be referred to medical practices in Nantwich.

But Nantwich practices do not currently accept new patients that live outside their boundaries and prospective patients from Audlem may not be successful.

Those people forced to travel out of Audlem to medical practices elsewhere could also face considerable difficulties.

Dr Muirhead's comment warns: "Rural transport links are not robust which will disadvantage the most vulnerable in our community."

He added that a development with a limited number of new houses may be sustainable.

"But 120 is not feasible without development of the medical practice premises and none are planned at this time," he said.

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