South London patients have blasted the “bonkers” decision to close their local GP surgery with no clear explanation about why, and have said that other practices in the area are already “at capacity”.

The health centre in Woolwich, Greenwich, will be closing later this year, according to the South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) which simply said it was being regularly reviewed and they decided not to renew the  current contract when it ends.

The group, which includes local authorities and the NHS health services in South East London, said in a statement on May 15 that the Clover Health Centre was expected to close at the end of September.

They said: “Clover Health Centre has been operating under a five-year contract that is set to expire on September 30, 2023.

Unlike most GP practice contracts, which are ongoing, this contract was subject to regular procurement processes due to its origin as a former walk-in centre.”

They added: “After careful consideration, the NHS South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) has decided in the long term interests of patients and the local health and care system, not to extend the contract or initiate a process to find a new provider.”

Patients are baffled by that explanation and the suggestion other practices locally can pick up the thousands of extra patients between them.

Rajen Kandel, 43, is a local businessman who works in Woolwich.

As a past president of the Britain Nepal Chamber of Commerce, Mr Kandel said he was worried about how the Nepalese community in Greenwich will be affected by the change.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Nepali is the second largest spoken language in this borough.

"I know a lot of the ex-Gurkha communities who live around [here]. I’ve been helping a lot in this area especially around translating and doing a lot of community campaigns.

"I have always had interests in the health sector, having personally registered a lot of ex-Gurkha pensioners in that surgery myself. Obviously, I was immediately drawn in when I heard it was closing.”

Mr Kandel said he has already seen a lot of pressure on GPs in Woolwich and surrounding areas such as Charlton and Plumstead.

He said he feels the situation will “deteriorate” the health system in the area, given the plans for the current patients at the surgery to be transferred to other local practices.

He said: “If this surgery closes, first of all there’s a substantial number of elderly Nepalese pensioners registered with the GP.

"They won’t have a clue how to change to another practice because they don’t have the language.

"It will really confuse them. Other GPs are already at capacity, there’s a lot of delays to get appointments.”

The Greenwich Local Medical Committee said in a statement that they disagreed with the decision to not extend the practice’s contract and to disperse the list of patients.

The group of GPs said that the move would add “significant additional pressures” to other practices in the borough.

They said: “Whilst some practices may be able to take on more patients, we are aware that the majority of practices will find this extremely challenging, due to current workforce and workload pressures…

"A reduction in workforce, both clinical and administrative, will inevitably lead to a poorer patient experience, compounding existing health inequalities in the area.”

Russell Clarke, who owns the space in Equitable House that the surgery is based in, said he was “astonished” by the ICB’s decision to close the practice.

He said that the surgery had been in the building for the past 11 years.

Mr Clarke told the LDRS: “They spent the money on [converting] the building, and for some reason they just want to walk away from that investment.

"The health centre is just as good as when they did it. It’s maintained, it’s a high quality doctor’s surgery… I don’t understand the waste of public money that’s going on.”

The landlord said the decision seemed “bonkers” given the 5,400 patients registered at the practice.

He said he was also worried about the centre closing given the large number of flats planned to be built in Woolwich in the already large and diverse community.

He said: “From a humane point of view, the health centre that was here was dealing with people that didn’t have a voice, a lot of people that were homeless, immigrants, and migrants because it’s a town centre.

"It’s a waste of money and I can’t see it being good for the NHS financially. I can’t say it’s good for the patients.”

The South East London ICB said in a statement that a process to find a new provider for Clover Health Centre was not viable given the “small” patient list size.

They said that fewer than 2,000 of the current patients live within a mile of the health centre.

They said: “We are confident in the capacity of Greenwich GP practices to accommodate the increased number of patients. They have expressed their willingness to take on this responsibility.

"We will collaborate with Healthwatch Greenwich and the Local Medical Committee to develop a plan that provides additional support during the registration process, particularly for the most vulnerable patients.”

They added: “We understand that this news may raise concerns among patients and local residents, and we recognise the importance of accessible GP practices for everyone.

"We are committed to supporting our GP practices, and are investing in more staff, and facilities to help improve patient experience.”

Greenwich Council was approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.