I WRITE to express my concerns at the decision to close Deer Park Medical Centre.

This decision affects not only those patients at the Deer Park Practice, but also the other surgeries in the town.

The 4,600-plus patients will all have to be accommodated in the existing surgeries, which are already fully/ over-subscribed, and where patients already have difficulty getting appointments; this decision will therefore make waiting times longer for all patients in Witney, and put incredible pressure on the GPs and their staff.

Closing Deer Park is absolute folly. It is a purpose-built surgery (probably short of 20 years old which is new in NHS terms) with ample room for expansion, space to accommodate visiting mobile units (breast screening), a pharmacy in easy walking distance and, most important, is situated in an area where many new homes are about to be built. What a complete waste of resources.

I strongly ask the CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) to reconsider and look at long-term benefits and not short-term savings.

I suggest that as many residents as possible write letters to our new MP and perhaps he will be able to make “our voices” heard from the benches.

VAL SEEDHOUSE

Donnington Close

Witney