HEALTH bosses have quashed “damaging and untrue” rumours that the Swan Surgery in Petersfield is to take over the town’s Grange Surgery.

Patients have been reassured there are no plans for such a take over or a merger of both practices.

Practice managers and doctors at The Swan Surgery in Swan Street and the Grange in The Causeway say they are baffled and upset by the rumours.

“It is simply not true that we are being taken over by another surgery,” said practice manager at The Grange Surgery, Paula-May Houghton Clarke.

She was responding to a post on the national NHS?Choices website about the “disappointment” a patient at The Grange felt when learning The Swan Surgery was to take over the surgery.

The patient wrote that this would be a “real tragedy”, would have an impact on health care and leave the town with no real choices.

He continued that he had raised the issues with the reception staff who had not denied it was happening.

Mrs Houghton Clarke wrote in response:?“Our doctors were horrified to read this post, and would like to reassure you that we have no plans at this stage to merge with another practice in town, therefore choice will still be available to the people of Petersfield.”

At Swan Surgery, practice manager Emily Spalding said it was “damaging and utterly untrue.” She added:“We have been made aware of some concerns around Petersfield that the surgeries are to merge. We would like to set the record straight and say that there are no plans for the surgeries to do so.”

There were though “huge opportunities” for the GP?surgeries in East Hampshire to work more closely together to the benefit of patients, and to optimise the use of Peterfield Community Hospital.