Two surgeries have announced they will close to patients one day a week.

The GP centres at Barming and Allington, which are satellites of the College Practice in Maidstone, will reduce their hours from tomorrow.

An announcement to patients posted on the College Practice website says the Allington site in Tichborne Close will be shut on Wednesdays, while the Barming surgery in Marigold Way will be closed on Fridays.

The statement says the decision has been taken "to make sure that the team is better supported clinically and also to get the team working more efficiently".

According to latest NHS data, as of May 1 the College Practice covered GP services for 18,983 registered patients.

Cllr Dan Daley, who represents Allington on the borough council, said: "Doctors are an important connection between people and their health.

"Generally speaking they have been doing a good job, but this is disappointing if they are shutting even for one day."

"We are doing all we can to make sure patients receive the care they need..."

A spokesman for the College Practice Partnership promised patients will continue to receive a "high level of care and range of services we have always provided".

"We are working in different ways to increase efficiencies and we can assure patients that we are not reducing staff or the number of available appointments following our recent announcement," they said.

"Patients will access the surgery in the same way due to our centralised functions at our main College Road site where all calls are taken and appointments are booked.

"All patients will be able to access full services during opening hours which are Monday to Friday 8am-6.30pm.

"Following the Covid pandemic we, like many GP surgeries, are experiencing an increase in demand but we are doing all we can to make sure patients receive the care they need."

The three surgeries merged in 2018 when the College Practice stepped in to maintain service in Allington when the previous Allington Park and Allington Clinic sites were closed.

A number of people in Allington have used social media to express their frustration at the lengthy waiting times to get through to the surgeries by telephone.

Some patients have shared experiences of waiting for more than hour and still being unable to speak to someone in person before being cut off.

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