Patients are left with no GP as cuts shut clinic

They have refused to continue funding one of only two remaining NHS clinics in Mayfair, which is to close because its only GP is retiring. Once he leaves, thousands of patients will have to commute to see a doctor or pay to go private.

Campaigners point out that Mayfair is home to a large number of elderly people as well as lowincome workers, who will not be able to afford private healthcare.

They also warned that Westminster Primary Care Trust's reluctance to support single-GP practices is being repeated across the capital as traditional surgeries staffed by one or two doctors are being replaced with larger clinics. Ministers claim the measures will streamline the NHS and offer more effective treatment but critics fear they will leave patients without support nearby.

The surgery that is closing is in Woods Mews on Park Lane. It is run by Dr Gordon Atkinson, who is selling the premises. The trust has refused to keep the surgery open by buying the building and has told its 1,500 patients they will be dispersed to other clinics.

In desperation, residents have appealed to wealthy Mayfair residents - including steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, who is thought to own a house in the mews - to buy the surgery.

One patient said: "There are a lot of little old ladies in the area who will have to go to places like South Pimlico to be seen."

The trust said it was consulting patients to ensure they still had access to care and would hold a public meeting next week.

A Westminster PCT spokesman said: "Our priority is to ensure patients from the Woods Mews practice have access to a GP upon Dr Atkinson's retirement and we are helping patients to find a new doctor in the local area."

It is understood Dr Atkinson has told patients he will try to delay his retirement until the trust finds alternative services.