The managing GP at the St James Medical Practice has hit out at the much-delayed opening of a purpose-built centre in Brunner Road, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
The NHS is now exploring “contingency plans” as negotiations continue over the future of a Walthamstow medical practice.
The St James Medical Practice was scheduled to relocate to a purpose-built centre in Brunner Road, but it has been met with repeated delays.
Ahsan Khan, co-deputy leader of Waltham Forest Council, said it would be fitted out “for early 2026,” but the practice’s lease on the St James Street facility expires at the end of October.
In the meantime, the council is holding “high level talks” with the practice, the landlord, and NHS North East London (NEL), the integrated care board (ICB) that oversees St James.
GP partner Shalini Kawar, who manages the practice, said the situation was both “frustrating” and “really sad”.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We knew things were dragging but we didn’t envision a situation like this.
“Trying to run a practice is impossible with all this hanging over my head. It’s taken me away.”
Dr Kawar says she was recently called into a meeting with the ICB, where she was asked to consider three options – including “handing back her contract”.
The practice was asked if it would consider temporarily merging with another or dividing its services up over four facilities across Walthamstow, which Dr Kawar said would result in “inconsistent” care.
The third option was to hand back its contract and dissolve the practice. Dr Kawar said the prospect was “shocking” and “unsettling,” especially when it was performing well.
Dissolving St James “would not help anyone,” Dr Kawar added, and it would only create a “headache” for the ICB and be a “nightmare” for the 15,500 patients on the register.
Though she felt the practice could be “nearing the end of the road,” she said she would “fight for as long as I can”.
A spokesperson for NHS NEL said negotiations were underway over a “possible extension” to the St James lease at its existing site. The ICB’s priority was “ensuring that all patients at the practice have ongoing access to primary care services,” he said.
He added: “With the support of local partners, we are also exploring contingency plans to ensure a continuous service for patients while work continues on its new purpose-built premises in Brunner Road.”
Last month, NHS NEL said the issues causing the delays had been resolved and a new timeline for the move was being finalised.
Integrated care boards, or ICBs, are NHS organisations responsible for planning local healthcare. They manage budgets, and work with hospitals and GP surgeries to develop five-year strategies.
The NHS NEL spokesperson added: “Patients will be kept fully informed on developments and we are working closely with the practice’s management team to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.”
The looming deadline and lack of progress has caused consternation among patients.
Long-standing patient Philip Herlihy said he was “as angry about [the situation] as I am alarmed”.
He said: “The new space has been sitting empty for two years. The existing lease runs out in ten weeks.
“NHS managers offer no plan, and now appear to have dumped the problem back on overstretched GP partners.
“What are 15,500 patients and 40 staff supposed to do in October?”
The new medical facility was built as part of the council’s Jazz Yard development in Brunner Road.
The mixed-use site comprises 83 new homes, alongside the purpose-built, two-storey unit.
Cllr Khan added: “We are doing everything we can to get the best outcome for residents.
“We are in regular dialogue with the freeholder of the St James practice site, [landlord] Aitch Group, and NHS North East London, who are the leaseholders, to ensure the infrastructure is in place to best serve the needs of local people.”
The work was carried out by the council’s now-defunct construction company, SixtyBricks, and it was completed in 2023.
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