Patients at the St James Medical Practice will be temporarily relocated to two other practices until at least ‘early 2026’ when a new facility will open, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Patients at a Walthamstow practice will be temporarily relocated to two medical centres after months of uncertainty.

Lead GPs Prakash and Shalini Kuwar, who own the St James Medical Centre had been negotiating with Waltham Forest Council, the NHS and landlord YourTribe to extend their lease but were unsuccessful.

The practice was supposed to move into a brand new facility in Jazz Yard, which is currently sitting empty, after their lease expires later this month.

Though Jazz Yard was finished in 2023, the council says the centre will not be ready until “early 2026”. A time frame for the move has not yet been agreed, the NHS says.

Shalini said she and NHS North East London (NEL), the integrated care board (ICB) overseeing healthcare in Waltham Forest, agreed the temporary move was the “most suitable option”.

YourTribe, which owns the freehold, was under no obligation to extend the lease and reportedly has other plans for the site.

In a statement issued by the ICB, Shalini said: “We had hoped that we would move directly to Jazz Yard and understand that this temporary move is disruptive but we can assure that you while we might be changing our location, our team, our care and our practice will continue to provide the quality care our patients expect.”

From 15th October onwards, the St James Street practice will be split across the Firs Medical Centre, in Stephenson Road, and Forest Road Centre. The two sites are smaller than its current home.

Around 15,500 patients are registered at the practice. None of the 40 staff members are expected to be let go.

As well as relocating, NHS NEL gave Shalini and Prakash the option of closing their practice. However, Shalini decided against closing, saying it would be a “nightmare”.

Johanna Moss, the ICB’s chief strategy and transformation officer, said: “We understand that uncertainty over the move has led to concerns among patients, but we are committed to supporting the practice, including providing resilience funding, to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum and that patients have continuity of care.

“Along with local partners, including Waltham Forest Council and neighbouring GP surgeries, we will continue to support St James Medical Practice while we look forward to the completion of the new Jazz Yard development in Walthamstow.”

The bespoke two-storey unit in Brunner Road was built as part of the council’s Jazz Yard scheme, alongside 83 new homes and a planned wellness centre.

The mixed-use development is part of the council’s wider residential plan for the borough. Alongside the new St James Centre, it will be home to an adjoining NHS wellness and advice centre.

Council leader Grace Williams said: “We share the concerns of residents about how the practice will operate over the coming months and when the new permanent centre will be finalised.

“We have raised these directly with the ICB. We will continue to do everything we can to get the best outcome for local people.”

She added that the fit-out was the responsibility of the NHS, not the council, and the space had been provided “at no cost” to the health body.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “So far, the council has invested approximately £5m towards the centre, which has been unoccupied for around 18 months.

“As the tenant, our NHS partners are responsible for funding and delivering the fit out of the new health centre, which is what is needed to enable the practice to move to its custom-built new home.”

YourTribe did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

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