The Close Street surgery in Morpeth still waits for a doctor while the proposed Thornton Medical Centre puts eager doctors on hold.
The two-storey Morpeth heritage building has been on the market for sale or lease since January after much-loved GP Dr David Roberts-Thomson was forced to retire due to ill-health.
Dr Roberts-Thomson died on January 30 and, although the surgery has attracted some tentative interest from medical practitioners, it is still on the market.
But doctors queued up for a place at a new Thornton centre.
Hunter Division of General Practice chief executive officer Dr Mark Foster said the vacancy was a sign of the times and he was not optimistic it would be filled.
“At Morpeth, a GP would essentially be taking on the lease of the building and running a practice, including all the commitments and obligations, while general practitioners at Thornton have the option of being employed by someone else and not having to worry about those responsibilities.
“The difference between the two arrangements very much exemplifies the trend currently going on in general practice.
“Increasingly doctors want to work in larger centres so their working life can be flexible.
“Small boutique practices won’t go away. Not all GPs want to work in big centres, but many want to work where there is back-up and with adequate nursing staff, and a lot of newer GPs particularly like working in teams.”
Tony Cant Real Estate is handling the sale or lease of the Morpeth surgery and agent Stewart Bray said its heritage status could also be slowing interest.
“It’s a fairly specialised building. It is ideal for the medical profession.
“There is a crying need for medical facilities in our area but it has not been a strong line of inquiry in recent
times.”
Dr Foster said Morpeth was clearly big enough to sustain a small practice but not a large centre such as the proposed Thornton surgery, which would house up to 12 practitioners, plus visiting specialists.
He said doctors appreciated the simple luxury of taking a holiday or sick day and knowing they would be covered by their medical centre colleagues.
“Morpeth is a really nice little community and if you are looking for a semi-rural community to work in it is probably as good as they get.
“Whether that’s enough to overcome some of the disadvantages is questionable. I think it is going to be quite difficult for the practice in Morpeth to get going,” he said.