PEOPLE power has reversed a decision to close an "essential" medical practice in Manningham.

Patients, including Jitendra Gupta whose sister Dr Urmila Gupta started up Manningham Medical Centre back in 1972, who campaigned to halt the closure and staged a protest in anger against the plans by Bradford City and Districts Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), are now celebrating their success.

The CCG announced in May that the surgery would close in September but a new decision was taken this week in light of the public’s strong case to keep Manningham Medical Centre in Lumb Lane open.

Mr Gupta, who has been a patient at the centre for 40 years, said: "This is definitely people power.

"I’m thankful to all the patients who backed the campaign and to our MP Naz Shah, other city MPs and councillors who all gave us their support.

"Common sense has also prevailed and we are happy.

"Now it is for the centre’s staff to show it can be the best medical centre in Bradford. We have given them that chance.”

Bradford West MP Naz Shah (Lab) said the u-turn had been a bold decision by the CCGS and said: “I am delighted that following my meeting with NHS commissioning managers, a successful campaign by local patients and residents, as well as the clear need for investment into primary care services in the Manningham area, the primary care commissioning committee has taken the bold decision to overturn a decision it had already taken.

"I welcome and applaud the decision to re-procure primary care services in the Manningham area and look forward to continue engagement with strategic partners to ensure that Bradford West constituency receives the best possible and appropriate services to meet the needs of a diverse and growing population."

The surgery serves around 3,600 patients living in BD1, BD8 and BD9 areas of Bradford and was earmarked for closure on September 30.

Now the re-think at the joint meeting of Bradford City and Bradford Districts CCGs’ primary care commissioning committees (PCCCs) means a re-procurement of primary care services in the Manningham area can start. The existing contract with Local Care Direct will now be extended until April 30 next year.

Max Mclean, the CCG’s lay member for patient and public involvement, said: “I am pleased that we have had the opportunity to bring our two local CCGs together to re-consider local people’s needs in the context of the wider Manningham area.

"Our decision to re-procure primary care in the Manningham area provides the opportunity to sense-check the services we buy; to ensure that they are high quality, clinically effective and capable of engaging successfully with their patients.”

Plans to close the surgery, together with the Woodhead Road Surgery in Lidget Green, were first announced on January 15, and following public consultations, the closures were confirmed on May 13.

The CCGs had said there were 15 practices within a mile of Manningham Medical Practice and 19 within a mile of Woodhead Road, and that all of them had open lists.