It is concerning that 5,000 people are just being given three weeks to find a new GP due to a surgery closing, even if it is true that there are enough spaces at the other nearby surgeries.
There is little doubt that the strain on GPs across the country is massive and those being turned away from the Grange Road practice will worry that they will be at the end of a very long queue.
Surely if there is plenty of room in the other surgeries and NHS Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group knew that the end was likely with the departure of both partners in May last year, they should have gradually moved patients into other places?
Apart for anything else, the administrative strain will not be welcomed, trying to accommodate all these patients in just three weeks. And if there is a way to keep Grange Road practice going now that it has improved to a good status, surely that would help ease the burden on other areas, if Bermondsey is not already filled to capacity?