THREE troubled surgeries belonging to a heavily criticised health provider are set to remain in its hands despite being faced with losing the contracts.

In August, Epping Close Surgery in Clacton, Frinton Road Medical Centre in Holland-on-Sea and Green Elms Surgery in Jaywick, were given 28 days to make improvements by NHS bosses.

The practices, which are all part of the Anglian Community Enterprise, were warned they could be shut or run by a different provider, following reports of struggling patients being made to wait more than 30 minutes to book appointments, order prescriptions and get test results.

The North Essex Clinical Commissioning Group, however, has now revealed that the trio of surgeries will stay under Anglian Community Enterprise’s control, but it will continue to keep an eye on the situation.

But Holland-on-Sea councillor Joy Broderick has called for the village’s surgery to be removed from ACE’s control, as has happened at Frinton’s Caradoc Surgery.

She said: “I am a patient there as well and we haven’t heard one thing about what they are doing.

“It is an absolute disgrace – everyone is left guessing and it is extremely disappointing.

“It has gone from bad to worse. Why can’t they do what they have done with the Caradoc surgery and change management?

“The Frinton Road surgery is unbelievably inefficient, there is no forward planning and this type of management is by the seat of your pants.”

The threat of closure came after ACE had its contract for Caradoc Surgery in Frinton terminated following criticism from patients and MP Giles Watling, who lambasted its telephone system.

It has since been taken over by Clacton’s Ranworth Surgery and the change of management is already said to be influencing the running of the surgery in a more positive way.

Mr Watling, who had held numerous meetings with ACE and the CCG, said he was pleased to see the surgery doing well again.

He said: “Finally after much encouragement, and frankly coercion, we have had a major shift in approach.

“The staff and the doctors seem happy with the change to Ranworth management.

“The atmosphere there is happy and the patients seem satisfied.

“If Ed Garret, the new boss at CCG, is happy with improvements at the other surgeries then they might be able to carry on.”

“I will be keeping a close eye on developments.”

Neil Churcher, chairman of the Caradoc Patient Participation Group, added: “I have only had positive feedback and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the course of action taken by the CCG was the correct one.

Oge Chesa, the CCG’s deputy director of primary care, said: “It is too early to comment on the situation at the Epping Close, Frinton Road and Green Elms practices.

“But the CCG is monitoring the situation at all three and will continue to do so.”

ACE had not responded at the time of going to press.