Question  

Response  

When is the move to the Akerman Health Centre and the Hurley Clinic taking place? 

Services will start to be delivered from the Hurley Clinic on 2 August. The Practice will start up remote and telephone appointments from the Akerman before then, but this won’t impact on patients  

Will the telephone number stay the same if patients need to call the surgery?  

Yes 

Will the Practice have access to patient records from the new premises?  

The IT system will be in place to enable to Practice team to access patient records both at the Akerman Health Centre and at the Hurley Clinic. 

The IT system will be the same one that the Practice currently uses; the Practice is confident this can work over two sites. The IT will be fully tested before the move.   

If a patient can’t get online, how will they see a doctor?  

Face-to-face appointments will, as now, be available according to patients’ clinical need. For those who don’t need to attend a face-to-face appointment, telephone appointments will still be available, so there is no need to go online if this is difficult. The Practice staff at the Lambeth Walk reception desk at the Hurley Clinic will also be able to help patients in person who have trouble booking.  

Will face to face appointments be offered at the Akerman Health Centre as well as at the Hurley Clinic? 

Yes, there are eight rooms at the Akerman and three at the Hurley. The Practice staff at the Akerman will be carrying out online and telephone appointments as well as face to face. 

Will most patients need to travel further for their appointments?  

Currently around 25%of Lambeth Walk appointments are face to face, and this is unlikely to change. We intend to do our online and telephone appointments from the Akerman, but there will be face to face appointments also at the Akerman Health Centre for some patients. Those who cannot travel will be offered an appointment at the Hurley Clinic or receive a home visit as they do now. The journey by public transport from Lambeth Walk to the Akerman Health Centre would involve a bus (159) to Vassall Road, and then a walk. The Hurley Clinic is around a 6-minute walk from the Lambeth Walk Group Practice building, and for some of our patients this will be closer to their home than now.  Our team will do what we can to make sure that individual needs are met. 

Where is the Hurley Clinic? 

Kennington Lane, around a 6-minute walk from Lambeth Walk Practice 

Who will patients see at the Hurley Clinic?   

The same team patients see now at Lambeth Walk Group Practice will be working across two sites – the Hurley Clinic and the Akerman Health Centre  

Will there be a constant Lambeth Walk presence at the Hurley Clinic? 

Lambeth Walk staff will be at the Hurley Clinic each day; there will be a staff Lambeth Walk reception desk at the Hurley Clinic each day also. 

The Practice will have three rooms at the Hurley Clinic, and these will be used for pre-booked face to face appointments only. Telephone appointments will not be carried out from the Hurley Clinic so that these rooms can be used most effectively to see patients.  

Will nurses have appointments at the Hurley Clinic as well as the doctors? 

Nurses will operate from the Hurley Clinic but not every day. They will book patients in for the days when they will be working there.  

How is the Practice considering the impact of the move to the Akerman Health Centre and the Hurley Clinic on different groups of patients? For example, those with limited mobility? 

The Practice is very much considering the impact of the planned changes on patients, to work out the best way to minimise any negative impacts on particular groups. As part of this, the team at Lambeth Walk has been listening to patients concerns. The plan to use consulting rooms at the Hurley Clinic is to minimise the distance that patients with mobility issues will need to travel. The Practice’s impact assessment will help to ensure that the needs of all groups are considered. It can change how the Practice supports patients with specific needs through the move, but it won’t alter the need for the Practice to vacate the premises at Lambeth Walk by 2 August. 

People with autism or learning disabilities will find the move hard. Will they be allocated face to face appointments? 

The Practice will treat each patient according to their individual need 

Will patients need to change their nominated pharmacy for picking up prescriptions?  

You can continue to use your usual pharmacy for collecting prescriptions, arrangements in place with local pharmacies for prescriptions will continue. 

If patients have an appointment with Lambeth Walk at the Akerman Health Centre, would they need to be referred to King’s College Hospital rather than Guy’s and St Thomas’ if they need to be seen by a specialist, as the Akerman is closer to King’s?  

No. As now, patients can choose which hospital their GP refers them to. So, if patients prefer to go to St Thomas’, they will still be able to do this. Patients can choose which hospital they want to be referred to by their GP and this will not change.   

If a patient registers with another local GP practice, what happens about hospital referrals and appointments? Will they need to start over again?  

If patients decide to register at another GP practice, they will still be able to continue with their hospital services, for example if they’ve been going to St Thomas’, they will still be able to go there. The records will transfer to the new GP practice so they would know about this too. 

Is the move to the Akerman Health Centre and the Hurley Clinic permanent or will the Lambeth Walk Group Practice continue to look for premises in the local area?  

The Practice intends to stay in the local area, and the plans are to move to long term premises in the north Lambeth area in early 2026, sharing premises with Waterloo Health Centre.  

Can the Practice move sooner than 2026 if suitable premises are available locally before then, or will they be tied into an agreement?  

The Practice could move sooner if suitable long term premises for the planned colocation with Waterloo Health Centre were available   

Did you consider using empty properties nearby to house the Practice temporarily while more permanent premises are found?  

The Practice has been working on this for some time with NHS South East London Estates team. Before arriving at the plan to move temporarily to the Akerman Health Centre and the Hurley Clinic, we considered around 16 locations for temporary use. This search included asking partner organisations including Lambeth Council if they have any suitable premises nearby for temporary use. 

What is the longer term plan for premises for Lambeth Walk Group Practice?  

The long-term plan is for Lambeth Walk and Waterloo Health Centre to share premises in the north Lambeth area. NHS South East London is working with a specialist NHS property agency to deliver this by early 2026. Information will be shared as soon as this is possible. The lease for the premises from 2026 will be for 25 years, which gives the local NHS and the Practice a long period of time to have continuity plans on place after this.  

Is the plan to merge with Waterloo Health Centre?  

No, the plan is to move to shared premises, not to merge. Patients will remain registered with Lambeth Walk Group Practice 

What impact is the move having on staffing and employment? 

The Practice has had some changes in clinical staff and is now recruiting to vacant positions. It is hoped that the prospect of permanent premises will help with this. There is good retention of administrative and reception staff. The Practice will continue to have six doctors and the wider team to support patients  

Will patients need to change their usual pharmacy? 

Arrangements in place with local pharmacies for prescriptions will continue, There will be no change.  

Have there been any attempts to challenge or persuade King’s College Maths School to locate somewhere else to enable the 

 Practice to stay at Lambeth Walk?  

There have been lots of discussions with King’s College and the Maths School who own the building. They have secured funding to expand, and they have explained that they cannot delay this any further. They have already allowed the Practice to stay on for an extra year beyond the original end of the lease at Lambeth Walk, and the Practice has been grateful for this  

How will the Practice communicate updates and progress with plans?  

The Practice will keep patients updated with Patient Participation Group meetings (with text invites), and via the website. Updates will be provided when there is significant or material progress or development to share.