A councillor has been accused of “scaremongering” over the feared closure of a doctor’s surgery in Wokingham. 

The leader of the Conservative Group on Wokingham Town Council, Councillor Daniel Hinton, asked residents via social media to sign a petition to help prevent the potential closure of Burma Hills Surgery, on Ashridge Road. 

The Liberal Democrat councillor for Evendons, Sarah Kerr, responded to the post stating: “The surgery isn’t closing. […] This is scaremongering 3 months before an election.” 

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Wokingham Borough Council has local elections this year, with residents having the opportunity to vote on May 5. Cllr Kerr accused Cllr Hinton of setting up the petition to “prevent something from happening that was not going to happen in the first place right before an election.” 

Cllr Kerr referenced a reply to Cllr Hinton’s petition from a volunteer vaccinator at Burma Hills Surgery, Louise Timlin, who claimed: “[…] The staff here assure me that there are no plans to close Burma Hills and would like their patients to be reassured of this.” 

Conservative executive member, Councillor Charles Margetts, claims that any assertion that the story was scaremongering is “completely wrong.” 

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Patients are currently being seen at Wokingham Medical Centre, the surgery’s sister site, whilst Burma Hills is being used as a vaccination centre. 

Fears were raised that once it ceased being a vaccine centre, the surgery wouldn’t be able to hold face-to-face consultations after the GP, Dr Ishac Jalisi, retired. 

Cllr Margetts criticised Cllr Kerr for “dismissing residents’ concerns over the withdrawal of face-to-face GP services” at the surgery.  

“Imagine how you would feel if you were one of the 2,000 people on the roll at Burma Hills who had their face-to-face GP service withdrawn with no notice and were told this issue was not real,” he said.  

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Cllr Kerr responded: “My comments about scaremongering [were] in relation to the statement Hinton made that the surgery was closing.  

“For Cllr Margetts to have said that I made my comments in relation to the removal of face-to-face appointments is completely false and a gross misrepresentation of what I said.” 

Head of communications and engagments at The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Sally Moore, said: "From the 4th April Burma Hills patients will no longer need to be seen Face to Face at Wokingham Medical Centre, as the Burma Hills site has finished being used as a covid vaccination centre.

"As before, patients will be triaged when they ring the surgery and either offered a virtual or face to face appointment where appropriate. Those requiring face to face appointments will be seen at Burma Hills Surgery."