MP presents petition to Parliament calling for Ambleside and Hawkshead GP surgeries to be saved

On the floor of the House of Commons last night, Cumbrian MP Tim Farron presented a petition calling for the future of the GP surgeries Practice in Ambleside and Hawkshead to be protected.

The Central Lakes Medical Practice may be under threat after the doctors handed in their notice due to cuts in funding for rural practices.

Speaking in Parliament, Tim said: "I rise to present a petition on behalf of 2,018 constituents in Westmorland and Lonsdale who are outraged, as am I, at the potential closure of the Central Lakes Medical Group practices in Ambleside and in Hawkshead.

"The petition states: To the House of Commons, The petition of residents of the constituency of Westmorland and Lonsdale, declares that the Central Lakes Medical Practice should be saved and protected for the long term; further declares that that both Ambleside and Hawkshead surgeries should not close, should not be run by a private, for profit company and should instead be run by local doctors; furthermore, asks that the new practices should guarantee continuity of care so that patients are able to see the same doctor for the majority of their visits and further that, call for fair funding of the new practice, as medical care in rural communities is more expensive to provide.

"The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Integrated Care Board to adhere to these terms when procuring a contract for the surgeries."