Two villages are still without a GP practice almost two and a half years after a surgery closed when a doctor retired.

The situation, which results in more than 7,100 people living in Teynham and Lynsted travelling to Faversham or Sittingbourne to access health care, is only expected to get worse.

Hundreds of new homes are coming to the area but it could be years before a GP practice is set up and running.

Residents have told KentOnline of their difficulties in getting an appointment with their doctor following the closure of the Medic Care Surgery in London Road in May 2022.

When the practice moved to the Memorial Medical Centre in Bell Road, Sittingbourne, grandmother-of-five Jackie Insell was one of 3,000 patients told to transfer there.

The 72-year-old is a carer for her husband David, who is paralysed on his left-hand side following a stroke, which means she cannot leave him alone at their home in Bradfield Avenue for more than an hour.

She doesn’t drive and would have to catch the once-an-hour bus or train service to Sittingbourne town centre before taking a 20-minute walk to the surgery which is part of the Memorial Hospital.

The former NHS housekeeping supervisor used to walk while wheeling David to appointments but now she says her health has “taken the back seat” due to the lack of public transport and walking distance.

Jackie, who had been under the care of the Teynham Medical Centre in Station Road which closed in 2017, said: “Whereas before I could walk to the surgery, that is now impossible and to get to Sittingbourne, with the lack of bus services and a hell of a long walk, it’s becoming impossible to see my doctor.

“It’s been at least two years since I went and saw a doctor myself.

“I would like the GP to come back to the village even if it’s a weekly consult. It would mean I and people who are in a similar position to me would have easy access to healthcare.

“But there doesn’t seem to be any updates on the GP coming back and with the new development, there are no plans for a GP surgery which means things will get worse.”

Almost 300 homes will be built in Frognal Lane which was approved after the application was previously delayed due to a lack of medical provision in the village.

Meanwhile, 57-year-old Cheryl Austin is also one of the patients who now attends appointments at the Memorial and like Jackie saw this development as an “opportunity” for a GP to return.

The Harrys Road resident, who works in admin, can drive but says it is just as difficult to park at the new surgery as it is to get an appointment.

She said: “If you don’t ring at 8am that day and want an appointment you’ve got four-week waiting times, which is ridiculous, especially in some circumstances when some things are urgent.

“Getting to the surgery is also an absolute nightmare. You’ve got problems with the traffic on the way and problems with the parking at the actual GP surgery.

“I’m also not sure when this doctor actively sees patients although the treatment I have received has always been amazing.

“When me and my partner went there twice on the same day, for a morning and afternoon appointment, there was no one in the waiting room with us.”

Faversham medical practices are also bearing the brunt of the patient influx.

Mum-of-one Donna Clements has been with Newton Place Surgery for 12 years and was able to get regular next-day appointments for her diabetes when she needed them.

But now she says wait times are usually between a week and 10 days.

“They are overwhelmed,” the 46-year-old said. “There are just more people in the village who are now having to go to the surgery. Even getting a blood test is difficult.”

Despite the issues residents are facing and Swale as a whole having one of the lowest patient-to-GP ratios in the country, there is no sign of a new practice.

Cllr Julien Speed, who represents the ward on Swale council, said that even if some premises were found now it would take two years before it was in working order.

He said: “The problem is largely getting the funding for a GP but there’s also all sorts of quality assurances that need to be put in place and it just takes a very long time to get it up and running which is not helped by the fact the NHS doesn’t move very fast.

“We are in discussions with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) of the NHS and with Dr Lavan Nilan Sasikethann who runs the GP unit in the Memorial.

“He has said he wants to come back to Teynham, but it’s a question of identifying the right premises.

“There was supposed to be a GP surgery included in the Frognal Lane development but what happened was the original developer, Trenport, sold off the land to Chartway, but it didn’t sell off the bit of land that was allocated to the GP surgery, so that is expected to come forward now.

“There is supposed to be a centre coming with the Highsted Park development but it’s one thing to say ‘I’ll build a building for a GP surgery’ but it’s another case altogether to actually staff it.”

Leading north-Kent doctor Julian Spinks also says that it would take years for a new purpose-built practice to be able to welcome patients.

He said: “By the time you’ve raised the finance and you’ve got planning permission, you’re into a couple of years to be able to achieve that.

“That’s why you’re not seeing many completely new practices set up. Most of the new buildings are from parts of existing practices, or possibly because of the merging of practices.”

The lack of GPs in Swale also makes it hard to attract new doctors to the area, Dr Spinks added, due to the workload with the average patient being seen by their GP on average seven times a year.

He said: “It is very easy to be in a downward spiral when it comes to GP numbers.

“It can be because a GP leaves for very reasonable reasons such as retirement, but then someone coming in will take a look and say, ‘well, that list size is large and I could go somewhere else and do less work’.

“Because in general, the amount of workload depends on the number of patients you’re having to look after.

“So if that person doesn’t join, then gradually you’ll find the number of GPs in an area going down and it’s a big challenge for those of us, both in general practice and the NHS as a whole, to try and return that situation so that we can make it an attractive proposition for GPs to join.”

Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whateley says she is pushing for “a solution” to the issue.

She said: “Teynham should have its own GP practice. I know that lots of local residents want to see surgery brought back to the village.

“Instead, people have to travel further afield to see the doctor, which is particularly difficult for those who are elderly, disabled, or reliant on public transport.

“I am urging the NHS to sort this out. I am also asking Swale council about financial contributions from the housing developments that they have allowed.

“Most importantly I’m making the case to those in charge of healthcare locally that residents in Teynham want and need a GP in the village.

“This week I’m meeting with both the local NHS, who are responsible for GP provision, and Swale Borough Council to push for a solution.”

Sukh Singh, NHS Kent and Medway’s Director of Primary and Community (Out of Hospital) Care, confirmed the NHS is aware that Memorial-based GP is exploring sites for the Teynham area.

He said: “When potential site options have been identified they will be discussed with NHS Kent and Medway as part of the process to consider new GP premises.

“In the meantime, patients registered at Medic Care Surgery can continue to access their GP services at the Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital site.”