The petition of residents of the village of Burton in the constituency of Christchurch,
Declares that the petitioners and other residents of the village of Burton in the constituency of Christchurch had the benefit of a local accessible GP practice on Burton Green for over 40 years prior to its closure in August 2024; are delighted that earlier this year South Coast Medical acquired the premises for the purpose of opening a new branch of the Grove Practice following a welcome refusal by the local planning authority to permit a change of use on the grounds of loss of community benefit; and are outraged that the Dorset integrated care board has since refused permission for the re-opening of the surgery.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to overrule the Dorset integrated care board’s decision to refuse permission for the re-opening of a GP surgery in Burton, which ignores, inter alia, the needs and wishes of the people of Burton and the fact that new housing already in receipt of planning permission will generate demand from an additional 2,000 patients for local GP services.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Sir Christopher Chope, Official Report, 2 September 2025; Vol. 772, c. 261.]
[P003107]
Observations from the Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock):
NHS Dorset integrated care board is responsible for planning and commissioning services to meet the reasonable needs of people in the locality and managing costs within its allocated budget.
This practice site closed in August 2024 due to the owners selling the property. No patients were displaced following the closure; patients remained registered with Christchurch medical practice and can attend the main GP practice site, 1.7 miles away via road, or can choose to register with another practice.
Two applications to reopen Burton surgery were received and considered by NHS Dorset integrated care board. On 3 April 2025, the ICB made the decision not to support the reopening of the site.
The ICB’s review of the applications indicated that there was sufficient GP practice capacity in the local area, and that reopening Burton surgery could significantly destabilise other local practices and would incur additional expenditure that would not bring clear benefits to the local community. In the context of managing competing financial pressures for services, NHS Dorset does not consider the proposal to open a new branch of the Grove practice to be a priority.
On 17 July 2025 after an appeal, NHS Dorset concluded that the decision not to reopen the site should be upheld. This was based on ensuring the sustainability of current GP practice services within the locality, availability of patient choice, and the impact on NHS finances.