Patients at a Faversham GP practice fear it could lose much-needed funding for building work due to continued negotiations over its lease.

A grant of £220,000 was awarded to Faversham Medical Centre by NHS England in late 2016 to expand the surgery – which looks after more than 14,000 patients – and create more consulting rooms for doctors.

But since annual service charges for the building the practice is based in were increased from £14,000 to £80,000, GPs at the centre have been in prolonged negotiations with NHS Properties.

The delays mean that they have been unable to sign a new lease and show the security of tenure needed to release the NHS England grant.

Members of Faversham Medical Practice Patient Participation Group wrote to NHS England this week highlighting their concerns over the stalemate, which has now lasted for more than a year, and fears that any further delays could put the funding in jeopardy.

In the letter, chairman Brenda Chester asks NHS England’s chief financial officer and national programme director to “intervene jointly to resolve this matter as a matter of urgency and ensure the grant is released without further delay”.

She continues: “The group fully appreciates the purpose of the national regulations, but believe NHS England is taking an unnecessarily bureaucratic approach and making an already difficult situation worse . . . and it is not in the best interest of the patients and health care provision in Faversham.”

The improvement works were originally due to be completed by April 2017 and bosses at
the surgery have said that if it does not take place, they may have to close to new patients.

Alex Cameron, the spokesman for NHS Property Services, said the reason charges had been increased was because some costs had previously been funded by the wider NHS.

He continued: “The main terms of the lease have been agreed by both parties and a detailed analysis of service costs was provided to the practice in November 2017.

“We know this is an important matter and we are meeting with the practice soon with a view to resolving the remaining issues, which will in turn allow the completion of the lease.

“Our main charges are for services such as cleaning, maintenance and security.

“These services create the right environments that allow clinicians to focus on patient care.”

NHS England South East spokesman Sarah Whitehead said: “If tax payers are about to invest substantial new funding in upgrading surgeries, it is right to ensure a long-term return on that investment.

“The Estates and Technology Transformation Fund criteria is clear that security through a lease is a key requisite for funding and all practices applying have to agree to this.

“Once agreed we remain fully committed to investment, subject to normal due diligence checks.”