THE only GP surgery in Minehead has closed with almost immediate effect and stopped seeing patients after a long-running issue with poor ratings by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Minehead Medical Centre was on Tuesday (January 23) being served with a Section 31 enforcement notice by the CQC.

The move has shocked patients in the town, who have been advised that to access medical services they need to visit the minor injuries unit in Minehead Hospital, or call 111 for non-emergency issues and 999 if it is urgent.

In a social media statement the surgery said: “Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we have been advised we can no longer operate as a GP surgery until further notice.”

The statement said it could honour existing appointments on Tuesday morning for patients but could not make any new ones.

The Free Press reached out to practice manager Janet Hewlett on Tuesday but was told that nobody was available to speak ‘about the situation here’.