COOMBSWOOD Surgery in Halesowen is still closed to the public despite patients being promised it would reopen on October 17.

Bailiffs closed the surgery in May due to a legal dispute between landlord Dr Humphry Akufo-Teteh and the tenants Dr Ruth Hearn and the Stourside Medical Group.

Despite the dispute being resolved after Dudley NHS Care and Commissioning Group stepped in there is still no date for services to return at the surgery.

Caroline Brunt, chief nurse, Dudley CCG, said: "Following agreement of contracts between the Coombswood tenant and landlord, members of the CCG visited the surgery and on inspection a number of remedial actions, regarding infection control and medicines management, were required before reopening to ensure delivery of safe clinical services.

"The CCG has continued to work closely with the practice management to progress plans for reopening the surgery."

She added: "The CCG has not been notified of a definite date to resume clinical services however the CCG are taking all supportive and contractual actions to ensure patients are able to access this local service as soon as possible."

At a public meeting in Halesowen on September 30 chairman of the CCG Steve Wellings told furious patients the surgery would be reopened on October 17.

Patients are being forced to travel miles to see a doctor at either Stourside surgery in Halesowen town centre or Tenlands Road.

One patient, who contacted the News but did not want to be named, said: "This is a farce, the surgery has been closed for over six months now and there seems to be another delay.

"We went to the public meeting and was told it would be reopened in October, and now it looks like it will not be until the New Year."

The patient added: "This part of Halesowen is cut off and without a surgery of own it means pensioners have to spend half the day just getting to an appointment, it is a shambles."