The 1,800 patients of a GP whose practice has closed suddenly have been reassured they will still be able to see a doctor.

Dr Hendrik Beerstecher, the only GP at Canterbury Road Surgery, Sittingbourne, was issued with a two-month suspension which started yesterday (Tuesday).

He was hauled before a Medical Practitioners’ Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing last month after filming a presentation he gave to inspectors from the health watchdog, the Care Quality Commission, in March 2016.

Once he finished, he turned off the camera but continued to record the inspectors’ voices without them knowing.

Dr Beerstecher also recorded a separate meeting in May 2016 with NHS England.

He then published parts of the NHS England audio recording on the practice’s website and the CQC video was published on YouTube.

The tribunal was held at the MPTS HQ in Oxford Street, Manchester, and granted him an appeal period of 28 days.

However, Dr Beerstecher said he did not plan to contest the decision. Instead, he told the Sittingbourne News Extra he could quit due to the suspension, saying “it’s unlikely that I’ll work in England again”.

This week, it was revealed he had followed through on his threat and healthcare bosses confirmed the practice would close with immediate effect.

Swale NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, the body in charge of allocating funds for health services in the area, released a statement saying: “We negotiated at length with Dr Beerstecher and other local GPs to try to make arrangements which would allow us to continue to provide a GP service from these premises.

“However we were unable to find other willing parties to join his contract or rent his building. In the timeframes which applied, this left no choice but to close the practice.”

Any patients with questions about what to do next or home visits, repeat prescriptions, appointments, test results or flu jabs should call 01795 879169.