Peterborough surgery to close because of broken heating system - but there are safety worries

The organisation which runs a doctor’s surgery which is set to close at the end of this month have confirmed there are staff safety concerns at the practice after a doctor said ‘it was unsafe to work there’ - but added heating problems have caused the closure.
Exterior of Burghley Road surgery. EMN-190115-163804009Exterior of Burghley Road surgery. EMN-190115-163804009
Exterior of Burghley Road surgery. EMN-190115-163804009

The Burghley Road doctor’s surgery will close on January 25, meaning 1,800 patients will be moved to the Dogsthorpe surgery.

The closure was revealed by Dr Shabina Qayyum, a GP and Clinical Lead Doctor at the surgery at a police meeting on Monday night.

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Dr Qayyum said at the meeting nurses were refusing to go to work because of anti-social behaviour by drug addicts.

Yesterday, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), released a statement saying the surgery was set to close, and blamed it on the heating and hot water system breaking down - but failed to address the concerns raised by Dr Qayyum.

But today a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group and Burghley Road Surgery, said “The CCG and Practice have worked together over a number of months on a plan to relocate Burghley Road, which is a branch of Dogsthorpe Medical. Over the past few months engagement with patients has been taking place to move the services to the main Dogsthorpe Surgery site.

“This plan to reduce the services at Burghley Road recognised the concerns that the staff had raised, which included staff and patient safety, and acknowledged the longer plan for the services to relocate to a new building, currently under construction on the John Mansfield School site (Nightingale). All safety issues are taken seriously by both the practice and CCG. The CCG was advised last week that the heating system at Burghley Road was not working, affecting hot water and heat in the building, this prompted the approval of the temporary closure. Any permanent closure will require a formal decision to be taken.

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“More detailed engagement will commence with the patients of Dogsthorpe and Burghley Road, once the date that the Nightingale Health Centre is ready to open is confirmed. In the meantime, the practice continues to engage with its patients and services continue to be offered from the Dogsthorpe Surgery site.”

Cambridgeshire police confirmed they had carried out an operation in Burghley Road in September following a number of issues raised by residents, including offences against sex workers.

The police also said they had received three calls from the surgery since the beginning of the last year, the last call being in August.