A PRACTICE which lost its only GP to coronavirus will stay open at the same location for at least the next few months, NHS bosses have promised.

Dr Saad Al-Dubbaisi, who single-handedly ran Garden City Medical Centre in Holcombe Brook, died two weeks ago after contracting Covid-19.

His family, who live in Walshaw, have been looking after the practice since then. But Bury NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will take over next month.

The practice will stay open in its current premises and continue to function in the same way for at least four months, accoridng to the chair of the CCG

But, explaining the process to the health scrutiny committee, Dr Jeff Schryer revealed that the practice could close some time after that following a review.

He said: “Our first and most important priority is to provide continuity of care both for the patients and for the staff. That’s our most important objective.

“For the first seven days the practice continues and there was an option at that point whether we should pass it over to a caretaker organisation or the family could have an extension in terms of looking after the practice.

“We thought it was important for continuity, both for patients and the staff, but also for the family to allow them to manage the practice for a further 28 days, so that’s been enacted but they’re being supported by the CCG in doing that.

“After 28 days, the practice will become the CCG’s responsibility and at that point the CCG will almost certainly appoint a caretaker practice to help support that practice.

“We will continue to keep the practice on that premises and to continue to function in the way that it has.

“There is a very senior locum GP who works there on a regular basis and there’s a very experienced practice manager who’s done an outstanding job in very, very difficult circumstances to look after patients and look after her staff. She’s been a real credit to the system.

“Once the caretaker practice is in function, there will be two key decisions that will have to be made. They’ll be made at primary care co-commissioning group because we have devolved responsibility for practices in Bury.

“The first decision is whether to keep the practice as a practice or to disperse the list. That’s based on a whole range of different factors which are very clearly laid out by NHS England.

“One of those factors is, and it’s clearly important, to talk to the patients to see what they want, which is going to be an interesting challenge in current circumstances, but also look at the financial viability of the list and the long-term strategic outcomes for the CCG.”

Dr Schryer explained that the primary care co-commissioning group may decide to close the practice and distribute its patients to other practices.

If the group decides to keep the practice in place, a procurement process will take place which is expected to take around a year to complete.

He added: “These things take months, if not years. So there will be no changes in that practice for four to six months at the very least.

“If it goes to a procurement process, it can often take a year. But we’re in a very difficult time at the moment because of COVID.

“It’s been a particularly traumatic time for that practice in terms of staff and patients. Our key priority is to maintain continuity and care for those patients and staff.”

Dr Schryer promised to report back to committee throughout the process.

Cllr Stella Smith, who chaired the heatlh scrutiny committee on Thursday, May 14, said: “The committee would like to place on record our sad condolences to Dr Al-Dubbaisi’s family and to all the people at the practice who have been bereaved. It’s been a horrible circumstance for them and we all feel for them.”