AN outreach doctors' surgery in the isolated village of Rosedale Abbey may be axed because it is seen to be an inefficient use of doctors' time.

Residents were dismayed when the weekly service was disbanded in July, but were told that it was a temporary measure and would be resumed in September. Since then, the closure has been extended until December, while one of the practice GPs is absent due to illness.

It now seems that the Pickering Health Practice is reluctant to resume the service at all.

"In the time it takes the doctor to travel up there, he could have seen 15 patients, but when he gets to Rosedale he usually only ever sees one or two," said practice manager John Fletcher. "This puts added pressure on already-stretched NHS resources."

Residents without transport are expected to travel the ten miles to Pickering on the twice-weekly taxi service which runs from the village, leaving Rosedale at 10am and setting off from Pickering on the return journey at 12.30pm. In total, therefore, patients are given two two-hour slots in which to make an appointment.

Rosedale resident Margaret Truran thinks this could cause problems for elderly patients: "There are quite a few elderly people in the village without transport who really miss the service. My mother is 92 and has just been diagnosed with diabetes. Luckily, I am around to take her to Pickering but there are others who aren't so fortunate."

Mr Fletcher says there are further issues to be considered. In April, new contracts are due to come in for medical surgeries, and their terms could affect the issue.

"There will be all sorts of health and safety factors involved, such as whether the premises have disabled access. In Rosedale, the surgery is just in someone's front room and I doubt it will meet the required standards."

Parish council clerk John Sugden is not satisfied with the communication offered to villages by healthcare professionals.

He said: "What is disappointing is that they seem to have made a unilateral decision to close the surgery without any cross-party consultation.

"If we got together and discussed whether it would be better to take the doctor to the patients or the patients to the doctor, then we would get a chance to work towards decent transport provision, if that is what it has to come down to."

The parish council wrote to the primary care trust (PCT) on September 9 requesting that the practice's new contract obligates it to continue the surgery but as yet has received no reply.

PCT spokesman Derek Bartrop said: "We are carefully considering the issue together with the Pickering practice and we will consult with patients who live in Rosedale and the parish council as representatives of the local people before the decision is made."

Updated: 12:07 Wednesday, November 19, 2003