AFTER spending 63 years on the Lupset practice, the manager and the partners told me to find another as I am 'out of their boundaries'.
I was born in Lupset, (Esther Avenue), in 1945 and moved to Outwood in 1965 so I have spent more time with the practice out of their boundaries than in.
In the past, doctors used to be paid on the size of their practice. Now they are on a set wage it seems to me that they are off-loading.
Having to find another surgery after all these years causes unnecessary stress which I could well do without – and they are supposed to be the professionals?
Eric Mountain,
Annie Street, Outwood

Dave Stapleton, general manager of Lupset Health Centre, replies:
In March 2003 Lupset Health Centre's existing practice boundary was clearly defined in preparation for the new Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract, which was then agreed with the Wakefield District Primary Care Trust (PCT) in April 2004.
As a result of this work it was noted that some patients were living outside the practice boundary. After discussion with the relevant staff it was decided that these patients would remain registered with the practice, but the situation would be regularly monitored.
This monitoring has happened since this date.
However, in February of this year, after much discussion, it was decided that due to an increase in patient population and the disproportionate amount of time taken to visit patients at home, some patients would have to be re-registered with practices nearer to their homes.
This would maintain the quality of service we provide to our patients within the boundary and, just as importantly, afford the best medical care to those outside the boundary.
A key factor in this decision was the time that on-call GPs had taken to get to the houses of patients who were particularly unwell, especially during rush hour traffic – where a single visit could take in excess of one hour.
This time frame was viewed as totally unacceptable due to the associated risks to the patient being visited. There could also be a subsequent effect for patients who may be denied appointments at the surgery during this period, as well as for any patient within the practice boundary who required urgent attention or a visit by the on-call GP.
The patient re-registrations were undertaken within the framework of the Personal Medical Services Contract and with agreement from the Primary Care Trust and the West Yorkshire Central Services Agency. As with all tough decisions this was not universally popular among our patients and several did appeal against this decision.
An appeal panel was set up to hear any appeals and an informed decision made, although it is interesting to note that this particular patient did not lodge an appeal at the time of removal.