An under-fire Milton Regis doctor’s surgery is closed, with its patients being sent to Sheppey for appointments.

Lakeside Medical Centre, in Todd Crescent, has been shut since Monday.

A notice pinned to its entrance said the closure was short-term due to “unforeseen circumstances” and the matter would be resolved in the “next few days”.

The surgery, run solely by Dr Bijan Saha since 1990, was slammed in a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report which found patients faced “unacceptable risk” due to a litany of failures.

Dr Saha retired from the practice on Friday last week after installing four GPs from Swale as partners to take over.

A letter addressed to patients from NHS Primary Care last month said the centre would “stay open” during the transfer, but patients arrived on Monday morning to find it closed.

Those wanting an appointment were told alternative arrangements were in place at Sheppey Community Hospital in Minster.

One angry patient, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “This isn’t acceptable.

“How will people in their late 80s and 90s manage to get to Sheppey? Everyone’s in limbo, and what could these ‘unforeseen circumstances’ be?

Lakeside did not meet any of the required 11 standards during CQC’s unannounced inspection at the surgery in March.

Among a list of failings, the practice was found to be “dirty and cluttered”, its medical records inaccurate, with staff not properly trained.

In a farewell message pinned to the surgery’s windows, Dr Saha said necessary steps to address CQC’s issues had been taken, “most of which” had been resolved.

In signing off, he said: “All things have an end, and in my case, that end could have (had) a different end.”

NHS England (South) refused to comment on speculation that Dr Saha’s failure to sign over the surgery’s lease to the new doctors is the reason for its closure.

A spokesman said: “Due to an unexpected contractual complication regarding the lease for the Lakeside Medical Centre premises, the new GPs at the practice are unfortunately unable to treat patients on the surgery’s premises at the immediate time.

“The surgery is very sorry for any inconvenience this causes to patients, and NHS England is supporting the new GP partners at Lakeside to swiftly resolve this issue.”

Dr Saha has repeatedly declined to comment.