A father and son say they are being forced out of the doctor’s surgery they have used for more than half a century.

Robert Payne has been a patient at Bower Mount Medical Practice all his life. But last week the 52-year-old received a letter saying he and his father Peter, 87, would have to come off the books as the surgery was “a significant distance” away from their home in Old Tovil Road.

The Bower Mount Road practice is 1.4 miles away following its move from King Street in 2013, which was 0.3 miles closer.

In a letter, the surgery says it is reviewing its patient list as a result of Dr David Newman’s retirement at the end of March. But Mr Payne told the Kent Messenger the doctor had already been replaced and that a friend of his who lives in Holtye Crescent, closer to the practice, had not been told to go elsewhere.

He said: “It seems strange. The website they’ve told me to go on still lists Bower Mount as one of the closest to me.

"We should not be penalised for their moving, why remove us now five years later?”

Bower Mount Medical Centre currently cares for 10,714 patients in the area, and says it is only removing a “small number” of patients from its list.

College Practice on College Road currently has a duty of care to more than 16,000 patients.

Mr Payne’s nearest surgery would now be College Practice in College Road, but he is reluctant to change.

According to nhs.uk, 50% of patients would recommend it, compared to 84% at his current one.

Bower Mount Medical Practice issued a statement apologising for any upset caused by what was described as a difficult decision.

It went on: “Our prime reason for this action is our ability to provide a safe service for all our patients.

"The more patients we have living outside our practice boundary increases the length of time house visits take should a patient become too ill to attend the practice.

"This impacts on the care we can give all patients.”