Campaigners shouted "save our surgery" in protest against proposals to merge GP practices.

Patients and councillors brandished banners yesterday outside the Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) office in Pembroke Court, Pembroke, Chatham Maritime.

The protest came as the CCG was due to make a decision on whether to close the Sunlight Surgery, in Richmond Road, Gillingham, and the DMC Branch Clinic Twydall, in Twydall Green.

The GP surgeries would then merge with the Balmoral Centre in Gillingham, The Pentagon in Chatham and St Mary’s Island Surgery, as GP service provider contracts for surgeries across the Towns are coming to an end.

Councillor Adam Price (Lab) has been instrumental to the Sunlight Surgery campaign as ward councillor and a trustee of the Sunlight Centre.

He said: "We're going to keep putting pressure on the CCG and let them know we're still upset about the proposals.

"It's going to impact all the residents here not just the patients who attend the Sunlight Centre.

"It's been said the public meeting was scary, we didn't mean to scare anyone, we just hope our surgery will get to stay.

"We're also very worried about the free mental health services that are funded by the surgery's rent."

Protestors gained entry to the CCG meeting which partially discussed the proposals to merge the GP surgeries.

They were allocated 10 minutes at the start and end of the meeting to ask questions about the plans.

The CCG only discussed the status of the proposals saying nothing had been decided.

Protestors were unable to access the later meeting where the final decision was made. It was held in private due to commercially sensitive information.

The decision will be made public later today.