Thousands of patients face having to find a new GP after the shutdown of a surgery and the proposed closure of a branch practice.

The Thorndike surgery at Rochester Healthy Living Centre will close on July 25 with patients told they can switch to the main Thorndike Healthcare Centre in Longley Road.

It comes after nearly 2,000 people registered at the centre in Delce Road were forced to find another practice after a doctor was suspended in February 2015.

Last week a consultation notice was sent out over proposals from the Woodlands Family Practice in Gillingham to close the green suite of the Rainham Health Living Centre.

Cllr Teresa Murray, the Labour group health spokesman, is taking the matter up with NHS Medway Clinical Commissioning Group, which plans and buys health services across the Towns.

She said: “To be closing branch surgeries at a time when it is very difficult for patients to get an appointment is totally unacceptable.

“It is also putting more pressure on Medway Maritime Trust at a time when it has come out of special measures and we are supposed to be supporting them.

“This is down to two things: bad planning on the part of the CCG and young doctors not wanting to take on businesses.”

In the past Thorndike patients have had to wait up to seven weeks to see a doctor and urgent case have been advised to go to the walk-in centre at Balmoral Gardens in Gillingham or Medoc.

Patients can be seen from 6.30am waiting for the surgery to open at 8am so they can get an appointment.

A patient at Woodlands in Rainham, who did not wish to be named, said: “It has come out the blue. This is bad news for people living in Rainham.”

Woodlands Family Practice has another surgery in Gillingham but the 57-year-old disabled grandmother said she will struggle to get to it.

She added: “If it does close then I will have to get on three buses to get to the Woodlands Road surgery.

“I would think lots of other people will have the same problem, the journey would be very arduous.

“This surgery is in the centre of town and is easy to get to.

“I fear we shall be seeing the same queues and long waits in Gillingham as they have been seeing in Rochester.”

Consultation closes on Monday, June 26.

Stuart Jeffery, chief operating officer at Medway CCG, said: “After a period of consultation with patients, the Thorndike Healthcare Centre’s branch surgery at Rochester Healthy Living Centre is scheduled for closure on July 25.

“Due to a national shortage of GPs and advanced nurse practitioners, Thorndike has been unable to recruit the clinical staff it needs to provide appointments at both its main surgery in Longley Road and the branch surgery.

“By bringing its services together on one site, the surgery aims to make the best possible use of its clinical staff and improve services to patients.

“Patients using the branch surgery are welcome to stay with Thorndike and attend the main surgery in Longley Road, alternatively they may choose to re-register with another practice.

“A list has been provided to patients, and nearby surgeries have agreed they will accept patients wishing to continue visiting a GP in the area.”