Health Minister to meet Tim Farron over the future of at-risk Lake District GP surgery

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has secured a meeting with the Minister responsible for primary care, Stephen Kinnock, to discuss the campaign to secure the future of Coniston GP practice.

Last month, Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB announced that there had been no bids to take on the vacancy at the surgery.

Tim recently wrote to the Secretary of State for Health, Wes Streeting, to ask for the proposed contract to be made more viable by linking it with the contract for the dispensary.

Speaking in the House of Commons last night, Tim said: “The beautiful and vibrant yet very isolated community of Coniston has had a GP practice for the last 200 years or so, but it runs the risk of losing it this year. Its GPs, who were wonderful, retired last summer and a caretaker service is being provided. 

“Bids have been invited and there has been much interest, but no bid has been made. The reason is that the finances are really marginal at such a small surgery where people cannot go anywhere else. 

“There is an answer, and I want to ask the Minister whether he might intervene and talk to the ICB to help us to get there. If the dispensing contract were to be let jointly with the GP contract, that would make it viable, and I know of GPs who would be interested if that were to happen. 

“Will he talk to the ICB to ensure that that flexibility is applied so that we can save the surgery in Coniston for the next 200 years?”

Minister Stephen Kinnock replied: “I thank the honourable gentleman for that question. It would be deeply troubling if such an important service to the community were to be removed, so I would certainly be happy to speak to him. Perhaps he would like to write to me to provide more details.

“Looking to the medium to longer term, the review of the Carr-Hill formula could well end up benefiting communities such as the one he has mentioned, because remoteness and rurality will be an important factor in the Carr-Hill review, but I accept that that might be a bit too far off for what sounds like a more urgent issue. If he would like to write to me, I am sure we can look into that.”