A GP practice in Burtonwood will be offering appointments to Great Sankey patients let down by doctors at Sankey Medical Centre.

Residents were left angry and upset when the Barrow Hall Lane surgery was closed with minimum warning and without any consultation earlier this year as GPs moved to the new Orford Jubilee hub.

But hopes that a St Helens practice, which had been keen to move into the surgery during a scrutiny committee in April, were dashed last month when signs went up announcing a private nursery would be moving into the building.

Richard Lowe, from Patterdale Lodge Medical Centre, said: “Unfortunately we haven’t been able to resolve the situation at Sankey Medical Centre.

“We met with NHS England last month who assured us that they have looked into every legal possibility of us providing services from the Great Sankey area and we have accepted that this is not legally possible for NHS England to commit to.

“We realise that it is not appropriate to raise patient expectations when it is not possible to fulfil them.

“Therefore we can only help by accepting new patients from Great Sankey and we are allowed to do this.”

Great Sankey patients will be offered telephone consultations, electronic prescribing, which will allow patients to use the Medicx pharmacy on Barrow Hall Lane, and face-to-face consultations at three branch sites from the practice.

The closest to the old surgery is Burtonwood surgery on Clay Lane which is about eight minutes drive away.

Mr Lowe added: “Hopefully this will give patients a little more choice and may take some pressure off other GP surgeries.

“As a result, we are increasing our appointment provision in Burtonwood.”