A DOCTORS’ surgery has been given extra time to freeze their registration lists, as they recruit an extra GP.

New patients have been unable to register at Lawn Medical Centre since June, after the retirement of GP partner Dr Jonathan Mercer in the spring left them a doctor short. Around 7,300 patients are already registered with the surgery.

Now, bosses at Swindon NHS Clinical Commissioning Group have given the Guildford Avenue practice a further three months until they must reopen their lists to new patients.

It is hoped a new doctor will start at Lawn Medical Centre in January. Colin Robson, practice manager, said of the prospect of reopening their lists: “There’s a lot of new building around Badbury Park and the other side of the Great Western Hospital. We’ve seen a lot of patients from those areas already register with us.

“Reopening the lists will allow new residents to register with the practice.”

A clinical pharmacist, qualified to prescribe medicines as a GP would, is expected to spend the equivalent of a day a week at Lawn Medical Centre from January.

At a meeting of the Swindon NHS CCG’s primary care commissioning committee yesterday, bosses gave Lawn the go-ahead for the three month extension to its list closure. Applications can be received from March 1.

A report presented to the committee by the CCG’s primary care manager Sue Carvell said no other practices in Swindon had objected to the proposals. It added: “Patients within the boundary of Lawn Medical Centre seeking to register with a GP practice will be able to access other practices.”

The committee also signed off bids by Lawn and four other surgeries to change their catchment areas for applications from prospective patients.

Lawn and Victoria Cross surgeries will now be able to take applications from the new developments at Badbury Park and between the Great Western Hospital and the A419.

A bungled contract meant Sparcells Surgery was responsible for patients in Wiltshire. That historical error has been corrected, with the surgery now covering West Swindon, Blunsdon and Moredon.

Whalebridge Surgery has had its practice boundary shrunk, from covering the entirety of Swindon to a central area stretching from Upper Stratton to Bridgemead.

Hinton Parva and Okus have been removed from the catchment area for Ridgeway View Family Practice in Wroughton. 10 patients currently registered with the surgery live in the axed areas.

The changes will not come into force until next year. No patient would be forced to change their GP practice as a result of the changes, the CCG said.