A MEETING is being held by Bradford City CCG tomorrow to decide where patients at certain medical practices in the city should be moved to next year.

The evaluation panel will decide where some 7,000 patients will be moved when the contracts for three health centres in Manningham come to an end in March 2018.

Patients who are registered with Manningham Medical Practice, Westbourne Green Community Health Centre and Whetley Medical Centre are scheduled to close in March.

Bradford City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said other doctors surgeries in the area, with longer-term contracts, will now be offered the opportunity to take on those patients and the three premises will also be available to be used if needed.

The Manningham Medical Practice was due to close last year, but public protests and a campaign to keep the centre open kept the centre open.

One of the central figures in that campaign, Jidendra Kumar Gupta - whose sister opened the surgery in the 1970s - will be attending the meeting as a patient representative.

He said many patients have contacted him with concerns about the closure.

“They have started this procedure all over again,” he said.

“The CCG is trying to transfer the patients to nearby surgeries, and I have written to MPs Naz Shah, Imran Hussain and Judith Cummins for help.

“We are trying to get them not to close the surgery down, but pass it on to someone who will keep it open.

“All the patients were sent a letter by the NHS about the closure, it has created a lot of worry and concern.

“If the patients are all sent to different surgeries it will create chaos.”

Mr Gupta led protests at the centre in 2016 which were attended by more than a 100 local residents, who said the surgery is “essential” to the local community, as it was close by for many elderly people and doctors had built up good relationships with patients over the years.

Manningham Medical Practice is operated by Local Care Direct, whereas Picton operates the Westbourne Green and Whetley medical centres.

Local Care Direct’s contract was due to end on November 30, but it has been extended to March next year.

Earlier this year, the CCG said Manningham Health Centre was likely to be one of the buildings that continued to be used for care following a decision.

A spokesman for Bradford City CCG said: “The meeting is an evaluation panel to decide where patients should be allocated.

“We have invited patient participation groups to send a representative to hear and understand the discussions, including Mr Gupta.

“In March next year, the existing contracts come to an end and patients will be allocated to new practices.

“The meeting is to decide which of the existing practices will be able to take on new patients.”

The CCG has said no one needs to take immediate action, although for people who wish to register with a new practice, there are 15 surgeries within a one mile radius of Manningham all accepting new patients.