A CAMPAIGN has been launched to keep a popular GP in Topsham.
The Chapel Platt surgery, run by Dr Adrian Renouf, is to close at the end of May.
It will force thousands of loyal patients to find a new doctor.
Dr Renouf, who runs the practice, has blamed "budget cuts" imposed by NHS Devon which he says have slashed funding by around £50,000 per year.
The county's committee of GPs said a recent poll of practices revealed that 10 per cent would become "unviable" as the cuts "bite" with 20 affected so far.
The NHS said the cuts were a national and not a local issue, but Dr Renouf, who says he has been forced to retire by the changes, claims the local body had "run ahead of the programme".
"It is the swansong of Devon Primary Care Trust," he said.
"They could have waited until clinical commissioning groups came in. This has put at risk a lot of practices in Exeter and around.
"They are trying to make everybody equal but we are not the same – any more cuts and others will have to close."
Chapel Platt, which opened in 1992, is one of two practices in Topsham. It will now "merge" with a nearby practice, taking all the staff and some of the patients but leaving many to register with GPs in the city.
Andrew Leadbetter, city and county councillor for Topsham, said: "I have been contacted by lots of people concerning the closure of the Chapel Platt Surgery and the loss of Dr Renouf.
"This is causing an awful lot of upset and worry for residents in Topsham and affects thousands of patients who have been seeing and trusting Dr Renouf for many years."
"People in Topsham love Dr Renouf and want to save him and I will do all I can to assist and support them."
Devon's Local Medical Committee carried out a survey of practices which showed 10 per cent believed they would be "unviable after the cuts".
Chairman Dr Mark Sandford-Wood said: "The committee is not in the least bit surprised. This is the first at risk of closure as the cuts begin to bite.
"We are concerned that something like 20 surgeries in Devon could be affected, five thought they were critical."
Sandra Preece, practice manager at the Topsham Surgery in Holman Way, said: "Both practices have a meeting with the new NHS Commissioning Board and until that meeting has taken place, we are unable to make any further comment."
In a statement, the NHS in Devon said Chapel Platt was "subject to a reduction in its funding value over the last few years, which was agreed by the practice". It said: "The NHS in Devon and Cornwall is finalising alternative arrangements to ensure that patients continue to receive excellent care."
