A Lake District village is at risk of losing its local GP practice.
Dr Katharina Frey and Dr Ahmed Abbas, who run Coniston Village Surgery at Wraysdale House, announced that from August 1 2025, they will hand their contract back to the NHS.
This is due to the retirement of Dr Frey and the practice said it was unable to recruit a new partner.
Westmorland & Lonsdale MP Tim Farron has called on health bosses to find a new provider.
He has written to the Health Secretary Wes Streeting, asking him to personally intervene and also written to the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, urging the body to actively seek to replace the GPs.
Writing to the board’s chair, Kevin Lavery, Mr Farron said: “Advertising for a new GP service provider ought to begin immediately in order to give ourselves the best chance of securing the right applicants.
“I will be delighted to help in a proactive search to seek applicants who can ensure the provision of a GP surgery in Coniston.
“Coniston’s full-time population is beginning to increase again, so it would be a tragedy if – after 170 years of continuous provision of a GP service in the village – Coniston was to lose their GP on our watch. I am determined that this will not happen.”
The board, which organises healthcare services for the region, must now consider the future delivery of primary medical services for those registered with the practice.
Peter Tinson, director of primary and community commissioning at the board, said: “There are several options for us to consider and these include attempting to find a new provider to run the current practice or asking patients to register with another local practice.
“The current Coniston Village Surgery building is not owned by the NHS and while it has housed GP services in the area for a number of years, it does not meet the requirements we would prefer to use for modern healthcare settings.
“The views of the patients are paramount in helping us make this decision.”
A survey is available on the board’s website and people can comment until March 14.
Drop-in sessions where people can speak to members of the local NHS team will take place at The Coniston Institute from 10am to noon on Tuesday, March 4, and from 2pm to 4pm on Thursday March 6.
