Campaigners are gathering a petition to fight the proposed closure of a GP surgery.

Patients of The Sunlight Surgery, Richmond Road, Gillingham, received a letter from health bosses suggesting it may merge some GP services in Medway.

If the proposal is successful, then The Sunlight Surgery and DMC Branch Surgery in Twydall Green, Twydall, will close.

Registered patients will have to seek treatment at the Balmoral Healthy Living Centre in Balmoral Gardens, Gillingham, St Mary’s Island Surgery or at the Pentagon Centre.

While it is just the surgery that may close, some fear for the future of other services at the Sunlight Centre.

Maggie Dudley has been a patient there for more than 30 years and was the chairman of the patient participation group which advised the surgery.

The 60-year-old, of Plantation Road, Gillingham, said: “Without the money raised from the surgery’s rent, the charity community projects in the Sunlight Centre won’t be able to survive.

“That includes the childcare services, mental health and domestic abuse support.

“Looking at patients’ forums I can see people are even less likely to get appointments at the other proposed surgeries

“Patients are really going to suffer.

“How are the elderly, disabled or people with children going to get across town to the other GPs?”

Cllr Adam Price (Lab), who represents Gillingham North ward, wants to set up a meeting with residents and the Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which wrote the letter outlining the closure proposals.

He said: “I’ve received the letter too and they have given absolutely no reason for merging the surgery.

“We have 17,000 residents in Gillingham North and if the Sunlight surgery closes down then we will have no GP in our ward.

“It may also mean the pharmacy next door has to shut down.”

Fellow ward councillor Andy Stamp (Lab) said: “We are very concerned about this.

“It will put pressure on the Balmoral Centre and the patients are already struggling to get appointments there.

“We want information and answers from the CCG.”

Delmergate Pharmacy, which is next door to the Sunlight Centre, is organising a petition to send to the CCG to show people want the services to stay the same.

Stuart Jeffery, chief operating officer at Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “We have recently started an engagement process for the reprocurement of GP services provided at five sites in Medway.

“One of those sites is the Sunlight Centre Surgery, which is based within the Sunlight Centre.

“As part of this process we are considering the option of offering more services over fewer sites, covering the existing number of patients.

“The sites would be: Balmoral Healthy Living Centre, Gillingham; St Mary’s Island Surgery, Chatham; and Pentagon Centre, Chatham.

“If this proposal was to go ahead it would mean GP services would no longer be offered at the Sunlight Centre Surgery but at the other three sites, with patients able to access healthcare at all sites under one provider.

“We have been notified of comments on social media suggesting that all five surgeries will be closing. This is not the case.

“The reason for the proposal to merge these practices is to enable patients to access GP services at a greater number of locations.

“This would also enable the provision of more specialist healthcare services that may not be made available at smaller sites.

“Our proposal only relates to the GP Surgery at the Sunlight Centre and the current Twydall DMC Branch Surgery, with patients and GPs attending one or all of the three remaining locations.

“The engagement process is about obtaining patient views as part of the process, with the current contracts due to run until March 31, 2019.

“This proposal has been put forward because we believe it will make the best possible use of NHS resources for the benefit of patient care, in particular in relation to the Medway Model, which looks to provide healthcare services within the community.”

The CCG has asked patients to contact them about the issue by Monday, August 13.

You can share your views by emailing them to mccg.primarycare@nhs.net.