Resident in Gloucestershire village of Uley hold vigil to save 'lifeline' doctors surgery

More than 100 residents in Uley in Gloucestershire held a vigil outside their local GP surgery to protest plans which could see it shut.

The Cam and Uley Family Practice is proposing to move all its services from the village to its other site 4 miles away in Cam. It says it can no longer run safe and effective services from the Uley building.

But elderly residents who rely on the GP surgery and dispensary insist its closure would remove "a lifeline". Rob Heaney is registered blind and uses the surgery for regular appointments.

He said: "I would not be able to cope if it shut. I'm blind and my wife is partially sighted we got no transport whatsoever. Even if we got to Cam on the bus we wouldn't be able to walk the half a mile to the surgery."

Jean Beeston has lived in the village for nearly 70 years but a recent health scare means she can no longer drive.

She said: "I had a seizure in January. They've taken my car license off me. I can't get down to the other place that we're supposed to go. It costs £22 to get a taxi there. It's just too much."

The village of Uley only has around 1500 resident but, combined with the surrounding area, it is estimated there are hundreds of people who use the surgery. The proposed new practice in Cam is more than 4 miles away.

The Cam & Uley Family Practice say the building is no longer practical for its patients.

They issued this statement: "Following the recent communications regarding the future of Uley Surgery, Cam and Uley Family Practice is pleased to confirm that a series of meetings are planned with NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to consider the options available to make alterations to Uley building.

These options will be carefully and seriously considered to find a solution to allow continued services at Uley. An application to close the building will not be made on 17 September when the consultation period ends."  

Cllr Martin Pearcy from Stroud District Council said: "In recent weeks there have been some discussions indicating that some services might be able to be retained in Uley. But of course that is only really of value if it's going to be the services that the elderly and vulnerable are going to use."

A final decision is expected after the consultation closes on 17th September.