Manston / Ashfield merger proposal and closure of the Scholes surgery and dispensary

Background

This survey is a chance for you to give us your feedback about our proposal to merge (join together) Manston Surgery and Ashfield Medical Centre in Leeds, and about the closure of the Scholes surgery and dispensary.  

The NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which organises the delivery of NHS services in Leeds (the ICB in Leeds), has accepted a request from both practices to engage with our patients to ask for their opinions about this proposal. We want to know what you think.


About the potential merger

Both Ashfield and Manston practices are now run by the same partnership of Dr Walling and Dr Nathan, and they are supported by the existing team that you are used to seeing.

Dr Walling and Dr Nathan joined the Manston Surgery partnership in May and took on responsibility for running the practice. The existing GPs at Manston have continued in a clinical role, but without leadership responsibilities.

The partners are now proposing to merge the two practices so that patients can access a greater range of services, clinicians and sites -  We are currently looking into the possibility of opening a new site in the area to enhance our healthcare services. 

By merging we can reduce the amount of time spent on administration, increase the amount of time we have to see patients and build a sustainable GP practice that is able to support the health and care needs of everyone in our local area.

Merging the two practices would bring the following benefits for patients and staff:

• More stability and continuity of care by bringing all the staff together
• More available appointments with a range of clinicians
• More effective administration and better co-ordination of care as one team.

 
Closure of the Scholes surgery from 1 April 2026

The Scholes surgery is a branch practice of Manston Surgery. The landlord of the Scholes surgery site has told us that they intend to sell the building.

Dr Walling and Dr Nathan have decided not to buy the Scholes surgery building because it is not suitable for delivery of modern healthcare services.

This means that Scholes surgery will close permanently from 1 April 2026.
 

Closure of the Scholes surgery dispensary from 14 November 2025

In addition, the dispensary on the Scholes surgery site will close earlier, from 14 November 2025. We understand that this may be unsettling for people using this service, and we will be contacting these people with more information. 


Providing feedback

The views of our patients are very important to us. Patients using the Manston and Ashfield practices may not be affected by these changes, but we are keen to hear everyone's feedback.

The closure of the Scholes surgery and the dispensary will go ahead, and we will provide further information about this.  

We aim to answer any questions you may have as part of this process.

Our public engagement activities are running from Friday 12th September until Wednesday 12 November 2025, and you can provide feedback in several ways:

By completing our survey:

• By filling it in online.
• By collecting a paper copy of the survey at your surgery reception, or ask us to send one to you. Surveys can also be made available in other languages or easy-to-read versions upon request.
• Please complete (and return) the survey by 12 November 2025.

By sending any questions about these changes to the Manston Surgery by post (to Manston Surgery, Crossgates Medical Centre, Station Road, Leeds LS15 8BZ) or by email (to manstonsurgery.management@nhs.net) or by handing them in at reception.

Answers to common, or frequently asked questions (FAQs) will be posted on our website www.manstonsurgery.co.uk and paper copies of the FAQs will be available at our reception desks.

All registered patients are also able to provide feedback through our Patient Participation Group (PPG), which aims to involve patients in decisions around the quality and range of services provided by the practice.

The PPG has been informed about these changes, and will continue to have input throughout this process. For more information on being a part of the group, please speak to practice reception or email manstonsurgery.management@nhs.net  You can also leave your details and request more information towards the end of this survey.

By attending a public meeting

We are holding face-to-face meetings where you can learn more about these changes and raise any concerns or questions. Staff from both practices and from the ICB in Leeds will be there to answer any questions you may have.

Details for these sessions are:

Meeting at St. Philip's Church Hall, Main Street, Scholes: Wednesday 24th September 2025 at 5pm 

Meeting at Manston Surgery: Wednesday 1st October 2025 at 2pm 

Meeting at Grange Medical Centre: Tuesday 14th October 2025 at 2pm
 
There will also be an online public meeting to give patients who can’t make the face-to-face sessions the opportunity to discuss these changes with representatives from the practice and the ICB in Leeds. 

This meeting will be held, using the online Microsoft Teams meeting platform, on: Wednesday 15th October at 6pm

If you would like to attend this meeting, the joining link will be available on our website: www.manstonsurgery.co.uk  

If you cannot attend any of the meetings but would like your feedback, comments, or questions to be included, please email them to manstonsurgery.management@nhs.net  We will aim to answer these at the online event and / or in the FAQs section on our website.

This survey has sections on:

• the proposed merger of the Ashfield and Manston practices and the closure of the Scholes surgery and dispensary
• general questions on your experience of using your GP practice
• the opportunity to find out more about your local Patient Participation Group (PPG)
• equality monitoring questions about you

Findings from this survey, and the other engagement activities we are running, will be included in an engagement report, which will be available at our practices and on our website once this process has been completed. 

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us!

The survey will close on Wednesday 12th November 2025