NHS bosses told angry patients to “evacuate” a GP surgery after a public meeting about the future of services descended into farce.

At least 150 people tried to cram into the Wickford Health Centre to vent their frustration at proposals not to renew doctors’ contracts.

Dozens of people were left standing outside the building as patients shouted “shambles” and “piffle” at health officials.

Sara Lingard, contracts manager at NHS England, tried to get the meeting at the surgery in Market Road, Wickford, underway at 7pm by saying organisers “did not expect such a large turnout”.

She said: “It’s very hard to judge what a turnout is going to be. We can only go on previous experience and this turnout is probably the largest I have seen in my 50 years of working in the area.”

But tempers frayed as it became clear many people were either uncomfortable standing or could not get into the room.

One woman shouted: “Just tell us it ain’t gonna close.”

Another yelled: “You should have got a bigger venue.”

Echo:

Patients arriving

NHS England and Basildon and Brentwood Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are considering closing South Essex Managed Care (SEMC), based at the Wickford Health Centre, and The Gore Surgery in Basildon.

The contract for The Gore Surgery is due to expire on February 28, 2018, and at SEMC on January 31, 2018. Under the proposals, the two contracts would not be renewed.

While the Wickford Health Centre itself would not be closing, with the Swanwood GP surgery continuing to operate from the site, 5,500 patients would be redistributed among three already busy practices.

As tensions continued to boil over, Ms Lingard announced the meeting was finished and a larger venue would be found in the near future.

One patient shouted “this is ridiculous” and continued to heckle, only to be told by another patient: “The world doesn’t revolve around you.”

Ms Lingard tried to speak to the crowd, but another heckler shouted: “Stop the piffle!”

She then decided to close the meeting by saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, we need to evacuate this building.”

Echo:

Meeting called off, David Barter (centre)

David Barter, interim head of commissioning at NHS England, apologised to those who refused to leave and stayed behind to field questions.

One woman told him: “With all the people who turned up there is only one decision to make and that is to keep this surgery open.”

Other patients praised staff at the surgery and said they were concerned about being able to get appointments at other practices.

Mr Barter said: “No matter what’s going around we have not made a decision at all.”

Attendees were promised that a new meeting will be scheduled at a larger venue in the near future.