DISABLED residents have expressed their frustrations over the the closing down of Princess Street Surgery after serving the community for 34 years.

Dr Kesar Sadhra of the surgery, just off Wellington Street, central Slough, has managed to get a site in Wexham Road – less than a mile away – that could potentially be the location of a new, convenient local surgery – but requires permission from the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to do so. However, negotiations have been slow.

If the location of the site cannot be agreed, the residents – many of whom are elderly or are suffering from mobility related disabilities – will now have to travel to Manor Park Surgery – nearly two miles further – for their healthcare, despite the fact that there are no direct public transport links.

“Dr Sadhra has given these people a ray of hope” said Maaz Mir, the surgery’s senior receptionist. “When people come in they often ask me, ‘But you are opening here (Wexham Road), aren’t you?’”

At a meeting at Upton Court Community Centre, patients urged the representative of the CCG to allow the new surgery in Wexham road.

Dr Sadhra said many patients didn’t want to move to Manor Park, telling him “No way” or “We don’t want that”. He said: “I have been looking for a new site for the last 15-20 years. I eventually found a site in Wexham Road. The landlords (of Princess Street Surgery) gave me a two-year notice to vacate. By October 1, we must be out.

“I have planning permission for the new site, and have approval to receive all the necessary equipment through NHS London - but I need approval from the CCG to go ahead.”

Fiona Slevin-Brown, 43, director of strategy and operations for Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead, Bracknell and Slough Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: “We are absolutely committed to working with Dr Sadhra.

“We are working to make a decision as soon as possible, but we aren’t certain a decision can be made by October 1.”

Mrs Slevin-Brown added that the NHS wanted strong evidence that the new facility would be a long-term, sustainable operation that could serve as a replacement for other closing local surgeries before granting approval. If approval was granted, she said she was hoping for a transitional period of no more than “a couple of weeks”.

Tajinder Jagdev, chairwoman of the Patient Participation Group, praised Dr Sadhra’s plans as being “cutting edge – ahead of it’s time”.

She said: “By 2021 the NHS wants all GPs to gather into multi-disciplinary hubs. Many local GPs in the area are approaching retirement. Their surgeries will be closing down too. Dr Sadhra’s facility would be one of these hubs that are scheduled to take over.”