A SERIES of failings at Braintree’s biggest surgery are putting patients at risk, it is claimed.

St Lawrence surgery, in Bocking End, Braintree, has told its patients that they may have to wait up to five working days before being able to collect a repeat prescription.

There are also concerns about the number of staff at the practice, with patients being told they cannot book forward-dated appointments because the surgery is not aware which doctors they will have available until July.

The first floor of the building has been temporarily closed for refurbishment, meaning consulting rooms cannot be used.

Meanwhile a planned move to a building at Braintree College has yet to come forward.

One patient, Paul Dawson, from Bartram Avenue in Braintree, has exhausted all his anti-depressant medication as well as his inhaler that helps control his emphysema and serious asthma.

Mr Dawson said: “From Friday, June 17 everything has ran out.

“All I want is my prescription, the pharmacy have sent the emergency e-mail, but if they do not reply there is nothing I can do - I have got a serious condition.”

The practice was taken over by Virgin Care this month after its predecessor withdrew from the contract over a staffing crisis which would have left just two GPs working there.

James Pope, from Braintree, feels the surgery has been in serious decline over the last year.

Mr Pope said: “Trying to get an appointment at the surgery is impossible – it is an absolute joke.

“We have been told that they do not know if they have got doctors in until July.

“That does not help the everyday person that needs to go in once in a while. I have got a little problem I need to see a doctor about.

“You cannot book any appointments long-term.”

The surgery is heavily oversubscribed with nearly 12,000 registered members – but new members are still being accepted.

Lesley Pope has put in a complaint about the care she has re- ceived at the surgery over claims she has waited too long for a referral for surgery.

She said: “I had no acknowledgement of the complaint, it is absolutely disgraceful.

“They are juggling with my health - they are playing Russian roulette with people’s lives.”

“I feel completely let down. It has got to the stage where it has affected my mental state of mind.”

A spokesman for St Lawrence Medical Practice insisted appointments were available to pre-book until the end of July.

The spokesman said: “When we took on the practice at the start of June we inherited a backlog of repeat prescription requests and administration tasks and we’ve taken immediate steps, including recruiting for additional staff, to tackle the backlog while also investing in new processes to stop a backlog developing again.

“The practice is very busy and facing increased demand, but patients continue to be able to see a doctor or nurse when they need to and book non-urgent appointments in advance.”

The spokesman confirmed the first floor was being refurbished by the building’s landlord and should be reopened next week.

Patients were being contacted to rearrange appointments.

The spokesman added plans to move to Braintree College, introduced after the previous GP group put the surgery building up for sale, were still on the cards.

Kelvin Rowland-Jones, head of commissioning for NHS England East, confirmed it had received a complaint on April 10 and sent a response on May 20. He added: “NHS England takes all complaints seriously and investigates them in accordance with the NHS England Complaints Policy.”