Calls for GP surgery u-turn as residents forced to wait five weeks for an appointment at Old Anchor Sugery in Bishopstoke

Campaigners say frail and vulnerable patients at the Old Anchor Surgery in Bishopstoke are being forced to travel further to see a doctor and wait up to five weeks for appointments following a takeover by Stokewood surgery in Fair Oak.

Now patients are launching a petition calling for health bosses to step in to ease a GP appointments crisis to prevent sick and unwell people being forced to travel nearly two miles from the Old Anchor in Riverside to the Fair Oak Road site.

It comes as hundreds of extra homes are expected to be built in the area – putting extra pressure on health services.

The Old Anchor was taken over by Stokewood last year and is now being operated as a branch surgery. and campaigners say the number of receptionists there have been slashed from two to just one.

Now acute care patients – those requiring same day and urgent appointments – must go to Stokewood to see a doctor.

But campaigners say this leaves sick and unwell patients having to shell out extra cash for bus journeys to the sister surgery – where waiting times can be more than an hour.

They say this puts extra pressure on already stretched staff at Stokewood , leading to mistakes to people’s prescriptions and that a shortage in GPs means people are waiting longer for routine appointments.

They say Healthwatch Hampshire is looking into the surgery.

The campaign is being led by Bishopstoke Parish Council Chairwoman Anne Winstanley who is also deputy leader of Eastleigh Borough Council a patient at the surgery.

Cllr Winstanley, who said she had to wait for more than an hour for an emergency appointment at Stokewood, said: “People are complaining that they have taken on the Old Anchor without having more staff and they are spreading themselves too thinly. People have had to wait five weeks for an appointment and I have heard there are more mistakes made on repeat prescriptions. The impact of more housing will put pressure on them.”

Patient Graham Mole, 79, who suffers from a mild form of leukaemia, claimed GPs often are unable to make clinics at the Old Anchor – while bus fare costs up to £6 each way to get to the sister surgery.

He added: “There are times when the surgery is without doctors for, literally, days on end.”

Pharmacist Sultan Sid Dajani, who runs nearby Wainwrights Chemist, in Riverside, says he is having to help patients and now issues up to 20 emergency prescriptions every week – compared to an average of four a week previously.

He said he is operating like a “pseudo surgery” and added: “My staff are busting a gut trying to improve the experience.”

A spokesman for West Hampshire CCG said the Old Anchor contract closed two years ago and Stokewood Surgery picked up the lease and took on the staff.

He said: “We know that Stokewood and Old Anchor Surgeries is fully committed to all of their patients across Bishopstoke and Fair Oak.

“The surgery is upgrading their clinical and waiting room, installing new check in equipment and new flooring and chairs for their patients.

“The practice is actively looking into expanding their routine clinics at the Old Anchor surgery and will be keeping their patients up to date with developments.

“It is important to note that across the country, practices are facing challenges with recruiting new GPs. We are working with Health Education England and the Wessex Deanery to look closely at the workforce in primary care.

“We would urge anyone with concerns about the service to speak with the practice staff directly.”