A DOCTORS’ surgery is closing to patients from next month, it has been confirmed.

From November 13, patients who are registered at the Layer Road Surgery, in Shrub End, Colchester, will instead be seen at Creffield Medical Centre.

It comes after the practices merged with North Hill Medical Group to form a super group earlier this year.

A letter, which was sent to patients, said: “General Practice has been under increasing pressures for a number of years and in order to continue to provide the same levels of service, while also ensuring our long-term survival, we have to evolve and changes have to be made.

“As a result, Creffield Medical Group was created on June 1, 2017 following the merger of Creffield Medical Centre, North Hill Medical Group and Layer Road Surgery.

“The merged partnership now covers a large area of Colchester and provides a wide range of medical services for 31,000 patients.

“In order to secure the future of General Practice locally the difficult decision has been made to close Layer Road surgery on Friday, November 10.

“While we appreciate the concerns our patients may have about this decision, our commitment is to continue the ethos and ideals each surgery has always strived to achieve and we see this merger as a natural progression of like-minded cultures.”

Patients can still call the Layer Road surgery for appointments after it has closed, with the number being rerouted through to Creffield Medical Centre.

Doctors at the Creffield Medical Centre have insisted the move will see benefits for patients.

They point out there will be more services available to them from minor surgery to help quitting smoking and Saturday morning appointments.

But while Creffield Medical Centre, in Cavalry Road, Colchester, will be the centre for new patients they could, in fact, have to go to a different practice for different procedures.

The letter said: “As a patient at Layer Road Surgery, you will continue to have access to the same healthcare services as before, although they will now be provided from Creffield Medical Group locations, including Creffield Medical Centre, North Hill, West Bergholt and Nayland surgeries.

“An extended workforce will be available, with seven partner GPs (owners of the practices), 15 salaried GPs, six advanced nurse practitioners/nurse practitioners, eight nurses and seven healthcare assistants.”

The Creffield Medical Centre was created in the former Garrison Riding School in Cavalry Road. It was officially opened in 2012 by the Duke of Kent.

The Gazette contacted the centre to ask what measures had been put in place to accommodate new patients from Layer Road Surgery, but no-one replied at the time of going to press.