Soon-to-close Borough Medical Centre could be used for COVID-19 response

We reported in January that the GP practices at Borough Medical Centre in Newington Causeway would close at the end of March following the decision of Dr Kaushal Misra and Dr Ramesh Sharma to retire.

With Southwark at the centre of the UK's COVID-19 emergency, we asked local NHS bosses whether there was any change of plan to ensure continuity of care for patients.

"We can confirm that Dr Sharma and Dr Misra will retire on 31 March 2020 and patients are still asked to register with a neighbouring surgery of their choice," a spokesman for NHS Southwark Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) told the SE1 website.

"CCG officers are in discussions with the commercial developer to understand the potential for using the premises to support the NHS response to the current Covid-19 pandemic."

Earlier this year the two GPs had nearly 5,000 registered patients between them. It is not known how many patients have yet to register at another GP practice.

The Collective has plans to build a 13-storey hotel on the site where the medical centre currently stands.