Dales surgery reopens fortnight after GP retires

A rural medical centre which closed following the retirement of its long-serving GP has reopened just two weeks later.

The Reeth Medical Centre, which serves about 1,600 patients, welcomed staff back on Thursday, with patients greeting them with coffee and cake, as services resumed under new management.

The practice is now being run by Central Dales Practice based in Wensleydale, after Dr Mike Brookes and his wife Marie, the former practice manager, stepped down at the end of May.

A spokesperson for Central Dales said: "We have keys! Thank you for your patience. Now we are in, we can get settled and provide care from Reeth as promised."

The reopening of the surgery, one of the smallest in the country, followed delays which meant the new provider could not immediately access the building.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has since secured a lease for the premises, enabling services to restart three days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Campaigners who fought to retain GP provision in the Yorkshire Dales village said the move marked a significant moment for the community.

Deborah Kerrigan, from the Healthcare Alliance for Reeth Community (HARC), said residents had worked "incredibly hard" to protect local services after fears the surgery could close.

Praising the efforts of organisations involved in securing the site's future, a spokesperson for HARC said: "We are delighted. This is the day we've all been waiting for.

"We know people here will rally behind them and support them every step of the way."

The spokesperson said the trust deserved credit for stepping in to obtain a five-year lease and ensure the building remained available for healthcare use.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said concerns had been raised earlier this year when NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board suggested patients might need to travel to surgeries in Hawes or Aysgarth.

Upper Dales councillor Yvonne Peacock said she was "delighted" to see services restored locally.

"After a short delay we now have a branch surgery open in Reeth," she said.

"It's remarkable that we've managed to achieve this in such a short space of time."

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