'Loss of our only GP has made us feel scared'

With just 1,600 patients, Reeth Medical Practice is the smallest GP surgery in North Yorkshire and one of the smallest in the country.

Last month, its only doctor announced his retirement, leading to uncertainty, anger and fear among the local community - and concerns that similar situations may affect other remote villages.

GP partner Dr Mike Brookes and his wife Marie, the practice manager, have served the population of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, in the upper Yorkshire Dales, for 18 years.

In November, he formally notified the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) of his intention to hand back his contract to run the surgery at the end of May.

The ICB attempted to find a replacement doctor but was unsuccessful, leaving patients to be reallocated to neighbouring surgeries in an area where the distance between practices can mean long and difficult journeys.

The Central Dales Practice, based 14 miles away in Hawes and 11 miles away in Aysgarth, will hold twice-weekly branch surgeries in Reeth after the plan was approved by the ICB, but there is still no likelihood of the Reeth practice remaining open permanently with its own staff.

A location for the branch surgeries is yet to be determined, but the existing medical centre could be used if an agreement is reached with Dr and Mrs Brookes, who own the building.

Deborah Kerrigan is a patient at Reeth Medical Centre. Her 84-year-old father lives with dementia and is also registered with Dr Brookes.

"That feeling of having the services you need to exist and feel safe, secure, happy - those have been pulled out from under us a wee bit," Kerrigan, 59, said.

If she ends up being allocated to a practice in Richmond, she will not be able to attend the Central Dales branch clinics.

"There's still lots of uncertainty. It still does keep you awake at night, not knowing what's going to come next."

She added: "I'm quite lucky in the fact that I can drive, I've got a husband who can drive and I know that there are a lot of people who don't, and for them I worry.

"This isn't an easy place to live and not be able to access services and I think that is worrying an awful lot of people."

At an extraordinary meeting of North Yorkshire Council's Health Scrutiny committee on Friday, representatives of the ICB insisted patients would be "every bit as safe under Central Dales as they were under Mike and Marie".

Deputy place director Lisa Pope said she was "well aware" of the challenges of rural areas as she lives in the Dales herself.

Richard Good previously represented the Reeth area on Richmondshire Council, which was abolished in 2023.

He said the news of Dr Brookes' retirement had been a "shock".

He added: "I don't think [the ICB] realised the concern it causes to a community like ours.

"We're a very elderly community. I'm 80 and I'm positively young compared with some."

However, Good said the community in and around Reeth "gets on with things".

"Because it's a small rural community and we soon come together, soon start working together."

In the long term, campaigners have been looking at the possibility of purchasing the GP surgery to run in a similar manner to community-owned pubs, with residents able to buy shares.

"I'm absolutely certain that we would raise the money required."

The local vicar agreed that parishioners felt "scared and kept in the dark".

The Rev Caroline Hewlett, who holds church services in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, said she herself had not driven for 18 months for health reasons.

"I know the complications of getting anywhere in that situation and this was a huge shock to the community."

Hewlett said of the planned twice-weekly branch surgeries: "'Owt is better than nowt, but it's not much."

She explained that the local GP in Reeth also served as the "first line in accidents".

"I've seen Dr Brookes disappear off to quad bike accidents, farm accidents - in a place where an ambulance would take a long time to get here.

"It is a safety net thing."

Ashley Green, CEO of Healthwatch North Yorkshire, said the charity was "really concerned" that similar situations could occur elsewhere in the county.

"How many other rural GP practices might there be who are single partners?"

He said those GPs who may be close to retirement should be identified "so we can mitigate this kind of concern ever happening again".

Green added that issues with access to transport and the internet made the wellbeing of the community "fragile".

He said discussions would continue with North Yorkshire Council and the ICB, to fully understand the timelines and why the local community found out about Dr Brookes' retirement from a social media post.

"That is really poor. That should never have happened."

The ICB had followed nationally-set procedures and rules, said its head of primary care Charlotte Liddle.

She told Friday's meeting that all GP practices in the ICB area, federations, NHS trusts and alternative providers had been invited to express an interest in taking over the contract in Reeth.

However, due to the small patient list and "known workforce challenges" with recruitment and retention, three providers withdrew from the bidding process, Liddle said.

A fourth was unable to demonstrate it would be able to safely provide a service.

During that process, Pope added, the ICB could not openly communicate about the closure and had its own updates planned, but Dr Brookes posted his announcement on Facebook first.

"We can't break statute or process," she told residents.

"I absolutely apologise if that has made you feel unsafe, unclear or unconsulted with."

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