PATIENTS at two threatened doctors’ surgeries have told of their delight after health bosses’ surprise decision to keep open both practices.

Earlier this year, plans were tabled to close Kendall Crescent Health Centre, in Cutteslowe, Oxford, and the 150-year-old Wolvercote Surgery, in Godstow Road.

The surgeries care for 1,479 patients and primary care trust NHS Oxfordshire began a consultation in April which could have led to their closure.

It would have seen patients sent to Summertown Health Centre, in Banbury Road, Oxford, which already has 12,596 on its register.

Now a decision has been made to keep them both open.

Jean Fooks, Liberal Democrat city councillor for North Oxford, said: “Some residents were quite pessimistic about the prospect of both surgeries remaining open.

“They will be surprised and relieved by this decision.”

The two surgeries have been run by locum GPs since Dr Mark Huckstep handed in his notice in December.

A General Medical Council (GMC) investigation was launched into Dr Huckstep in August 2010.

He is still fully registered with the GMC to practice, but remains suspended from the Medical Performers list in Oxfordshire.

Almost 200 people responded to the consultation and the majority wanted to keep the surgeries open.

The survey highlighted the high number of elderly patients registered at both surgeries and the problems they would face travelling to see GPs elsewhere in the city.

Carl Keeble, who runs the Post Box village store in Godstow Road, launched a petition to keep the surgery open and it was signed by hundreds of customers.

Former Medical Research Council worker Peter Adams, 77, of Godstow Road, who lives a few hundred yards from the surgery and signed the petition, said: “This is good news. As you get older you need to use the doctors far more and it is very desirable to have a surgery on your doorstep.

“Carl Keeble is now a member of Wolvercote Commoners Committee and is brilliant at getting people organised.”

Betty Ebanja, 77, of Mill Road, Wolvercote, added: “I am delighted by this. There are no direct bus routes from here to other nearby surgeries.

“I have been a patient at Wolvercote for the past 30 years and I am glad that will be able to continue.”

Julia Stackhouse, a spokesman for NHS Oxfordshire, said the trust did not pursue the closure option because of the support the surgeries get from Summertown.

The trust had suggested keeping Cutteslowe and Wolvercote open was not cost-effective because patient numbers were low.

Dr Matthew Cheetham, 42, is one of the partners at Summertown Health Centre, which has been running the Kendall Crescent and Wolvercote surgeries since December.

He said: “The whole partnership is thrilled that the consultation wanted us to continue running these two surgeries.

“We are delighted to be continuing the work we started back in December.

“We think it has worked very well and that is the feedback we are getting from patients.”