Important Update: Closure of Gilletts Surgery (Branch) in Balcombe
As you will be aware, we have been reviewing the services we provide from both our surgery sites – Dumbledore Primary Care Centre in Handcross and Gilletts Surgery in Balcombe – and looking at how we can continue to provide safe, effective services to our patients.
In doing this review, it was clear that we are not able to provide the breadth of services we would wish to our patients at Gilletts Surgery, and that we needed to improve clinical safety, as some of our staff might work there alone or without clinical support. Continuing to run services from both sites impacts on our ability to further improve access to appointments for our patients.
As a result, we recognised that the only way forward was to submit an application to permanently close Gilletts Surgery in Balcombe and to focus our services from our main site, Dumbledore Primary Care Centre in Handcross.
We are writing to you today to share that our proposal has been approved by NHS Sussex’s Primary Care Commissioning Group. The closure will take place by 31 May 2025. From 1st June 2025, all our services will be consolidated at our main site, Dumbledore Primary Care Centre in Handcross.
We understand that this decision may cause you some concern, and we want to reassure you that it has been made with careful consideration, and in the interest of maintaining clinical safety and high-quality care for all our patients.
Dumbledore Primary Care Centre is a well-equipped, modern facility, with extra capacity to manage additional appointments. Moving all our services to one location means patients will have access to a greater number of services and staff, and it will allow us to provide safer and more equitable care to all our patients.
Over the past few months, we have engaged extensively with the local community, including patients, the Patient Participation Group (PPG), and parish councillors. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback and share their thoughts on this matter.
We understand that there are concerns from people in and around Balcombe about access and travel to Dumbledore Primary Care Centre, appointment availability, and prescription collection services.
To address the concerns raised and ensure a smooth transition, we are committed to carrying out several actions ahead of the closure.
These include:
- Setting up a prescription collection service in Balcombe and making sure patients are aware of the other local pharmacy services local to them.
- Conducting further analysis of patients who solely use Gilletts Surgery to explore options such as home visits (if clinically appropriate), transport support, virtual/telephone appointments, and electronic prescription services.
- Working alongside local schools and businesses to explore options for improving parking availability at Dumbledore Primary Care Centre and travel options in Balcombe.
We know that these measures will be important to support our patients who live around the Gilletts Surgery area and we are working at pace to put the necessary arrangements in place. We are committed to keeping patients and our community informed and involved as our plans progress.
We are confident that this move will enable all of our patients to access the wider range of services that we have available as a GP practice, and continue to access further services, support and care from our team as we continue to develop.
We want to thank all of our patients who support us and work alongside the practice, as our staff work hard every day to provide the best possible care and support for patients. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and patience during this transition. If you have any questions or require further support, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Yours sincerely,
Drs Hardingham, Briggs, Camilleri and Farrant