Evington residents protest closure of local GP surgery

Residents in a Leicestershire village organized a vigil to object to the closing of a local GP surgery. The Surgery in The Common, located in Evington, ceased operations on Friday. This closure occurred after the medical practice notified the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB) that the property owner intended to sell the site. This location functioned as a satellite branch of St Elizabeth’s Medical Centre, situated on Netherhall Road, which is over two miles distant and requires two bus journeys for certain patients. On Friday, a silent demonstration took place outside the surgery, where participants voiced worries regarding the loss of other local amenities. A pharmacy recently ceased operations, and a post office is scheduled to close in January. Ursula Bilson, a 52-year-old resident of Evington, shared her perspective with the BBC, stating: “This is making my life more complicated.” She added, “At a period in my life when I need to be there for other people and help other members of my family, I can’t cope with my own things.” Concluding, she said, “This is not right.” Anne Turner, aged 70, another resident of the village, commented: “I need to have something that I can walk to or that I can get a bus easily to and the practice that they advised me to sign on to, Netherhall Road, is two buses away, which is one bus into town and one bus out again and I think that’s too much for me to do.” The J&A Pharmacy, a fixture on Main Street since the 1980s, shut down last month, with its owners, R Glenton & Son, citing financial difficulties as the reason. Chris Pollock, 76, expressed his concern: “We just don’t want to see a load of boarded up property in the village.” He continued, “It’s not what we came for, it’s not what we live here for.” He concluded by stating, “We’re a good community, we’re a strong community and it’s gradually being eroded by a lack of amenities.” Zuffar Haq, a representative for Evington on Leicester City Council, remarked: “We wanted to make sure the NHS and GPs understand the strength of feeling in this area.” He added, “There’s hundreds of patients who are going to have to travel 2.6 miles, catch four buses to go and see their GP.” He deemed this “totally unacceptable.” On December 4, a public gathering took place at Pilgrim Gardens independent living in Evington, Leicester, providing an opportunity for villagers to voice their anxieties. Residents articulated their opposition to the necessity of taking two buses to reach the primary medical center and the prospect of switching to an entirely new practice. During the meeting, representatives from the ICB stated that the satellite surgery was no longer suitable for its intended use and confirmed that a public consultation concerning its closure had been ongoing since June. For further updates, BBC Leicester can be followed on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Story submissions can be sent to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp at 0808 100 2210. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.