Patients at a GP surgery in Oldham have been told to register at another practice after it was announced the surgery would be closing down.

Earlier this week, a decision was made to close down The Duru Practice, based in the Integrated Care Centre on New Radcliffe Street, just a month after the surgery was put into special measures.

Patients registered at the GP surgery have been told the practice will close on Sunday, March 31, and that they must register with another practice between now and then.

The Duru Practice was placed in special measures by the Care Quality Commission in June last year after it was rated inadequate and Dr George Duru was suspended by NHS England from its Medical Performers List.

NHS Greater Manchester said that the decision was "not made lightly" and apologised for any "concern or inconvenience" patients have been caused.

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In a statement, a spokesperson for NHS Greater Manchester said: "On 15th January Oldham Placed Based Primary Care Commissioning Committee, with approval from GM Primary Care Commissioning Committee, made the decision to close The Duru Practice, on New Radcliffe Street, on 31st March 2024.

"The decision to close the practice rather than find another permanent provider was taken because the safety and care of patients is our top priority.

"There are several other practices close to Dr Duru’s who all have a good CQC rating and are accepting new patients.

"Whereas the process of finding another provider to run The Duru Practice can take at least nine-12 months and may not be successful – causing more upheaval and uncertainty for patients."

Chris Brown, a patient at The Duru Practice, shared his frustration surrounding the closure, saying: "As a patient I feel we have been left in the dark to the exact reasons for the closure. 

"They then sent letters around via email saying they were providing temporary cover until a new GP is appointed and patients should not worry, only to backtrack on that a couple of days later saying everyone needs to find a new GP."

Mr Brown added that the closure "leaves a lot of people in no man's land".

On January 12, patients at the practice received a letter saying the GP was being temporarily managed by gtd healthcare and that drop-in sessions to meet the team were set to be held.

No mention was made of the surgery being potentially set to close.

NHS Greater Manchester said all of the patients at The Duru Practice had been contacted about the closure and how to register at a new practice, including some which are also in the Integrated Care Centre building.

The spokesperson added it was confident patients would be able to access GP services and settle in quickly to new practices.

Patients of The Duru Practice were notified of the surgery's closure in a letter earlier this week, in which Mike Barker, the chief officer of Oldham Integrated Care Partnership, acknowledged the news may have been "unexpected".