A 12-week consultation has been launched into the future of Polruan Surgery, run by Fowey River Practice, raising fears the village could lose its only local GP facility.
The move has sparked alarm among residents and politicians alike, including South East Cornwall MP Anna Gelderd and Cornwall councillor Jim Candy, who warn the loss of the surgery could hit vulnerable residents hardest.
A grassroots “Save Our Surgery” campaign has been launched by villagers concerned about the future of healthcare in the community.
The issue was raised at a meeting of Cornwall Council’s health and adult social care scrutiny committee, where residents highlighted the challenges people already face accessing services in the area.
Speaking at the meeting, Polruan resident Mrs T Skinner urged councillors to champion the retention of the surgery and its dispensary. She said Polruan ranked in the bottom one per cent nationally for barriers to housing and services, according to government deprivation data.
Committee chair Cllr Nicky Chopak read out a statement prepared by the Integrated Care Board (ICB), which said: “The ICB recognises how important local GP and dispensary services are to communities such as Polruan, particularly given the challenges around rural access and the barriers to services identified for the area.
“Fowey River Practice is currently undertaking a 12-week consultation with patients and the local community which runs until April 17. This is to gather views before deciding whether to submit any formal proposal to the ICB.
“At this stage, no decision has been made about the future of the Polruan branch surgery.
“If the practice does bring forward an application to make this change, the ICB will carefully review it. This would include considering the impact on patients, particularly vulnerable groups, reviewing a quality impact assessment and assessing whether appropriate consultation has taken place.”
The meeting heard the reasons for considering the closure of Polruan surgery included the age of the building, which has no car parking for patients and access issues for wheelchairs and prams.
Fowey River Practice – which runs Polruan as well as Par branch surgeries – believes that concentrating its workforce on fewer sites would help it to maintain safer workloads and support continuity of care, with financial stability also being an issue.
Councillor Candy told the committee the surgery was vital because of the village’s geography and isolation.
“I remember the slogan ‘care in the community’ and, to me, having a branch surgery in a place like Polruan is essential,” he said. “What people on this committee may not realise is that Polruan is pretty much an island. It’s very isolated.
“It’s in the bottom one per cent for deprivation, Looe is 40 minutes away by bus, the foot ferry across the river is difficult to access especially when the weather is rough and the car ferry three miles upstream would cost £10.50.”
Ms Gelderd said she understood the depth of concern locally and had already met representatives from the practice and parish council to discuss the issue.
“I know people in Polruan are deeply concerned about the future of Polruan surgery since Fowey River Practice launched their consultation and engagement process.
“As a rural area, next to the River Fowey, people living in Polruan need essential services close to home and I understand people’s concerns.
“That’s why I met with the operations manager and a senior partner GP, alongside members of the local parish council, at the surgery to discuss its future. This was really constructive and I will continue to monitor the situation closely and support local people with their individual concerns.”
However, the practice says the consultation has been launched after years of reviewing how best to deliver care to patients across the area.
In a detailed statement on their website, the partners said they recognised the announcement had caused “upset, anger and concern” but stressed the discussion had been years in the making.
They said the decision had not been taken lightly and described it as “a source of immense personal sadness”.
The current partners said they had collectively cared for Polruan patients for more than 40 years, while previous partners served the community for over a century.
The practice says it has seen a decline in the number of patients using the Polruan branch while demand across its wider patient population has increased significantly.
Concerns have also been raised about the suitability of the building, which was not purpose-built for healthcare and has accessibility limitations.
Fowey River Practice says concentrating services across fewer sites could help manage growing workloads, staffing pressures and financial challenges while maintaining continuity of care.
More than 8,000 patients have been contacted about the consultation, which runs until April 17.
No final decision has been made and any formal proposal would need to be reviewed by the NHS Integrated Care Board, with a decision unlikely before May.
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