Information about the temporary relocation of your GP practice 

Wednesday 16th October 2024 – You do not need to take any action!

Dear Patient, Carers, Guardian registered at St James Medical Practice, we are writing to inform you that the current site 47 St James St, Walthamstow, London, E17 7NH will temporarily be relocating until our new site is ready to move into at the Jazz Yard. We will move into the temporary premises at The Firs Medical Centre and Forest Rd Medical Centre fully on Monday 16th October, there will be no planned clinics taking place at the current St James Medical Practice site on Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th however reception will be open for any queries you may have.

The service will continue in the same way but will operate out of the two sites below:

• The Firs Medical Centre, 26 Stephenson Road, London E17 7JT
• Forest Road Medical Centre, 354-358 Forest Road, London E17 5JL

Our practice name, telephone and bypass numbers remain the same as well as our site codes following the move.

Updates about the move will be communicated here in due course.

All of our practice team who work at our current site will transfer across the two sites thus ensuring continuity of care within the temporary facilities. 

Our current site at 47 St James St will remain open as usual until the end of the day on Friday 11th October 2024. Please continue to contact us on the normal telephone number and we will advise you on which site you need to visit if a face-to-face appointment is required. The practice telephone number will remain the same on 020 3233 0870.

You can also still contact us online using our Contact Us form.

Background

Our long-term plan has been to relocate St James Medical Practice to a newly built premises at Jazz Yard, which will have better facilities for our staff and patients. The North East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) expected to complete the remaining work to enable the practice to move to the new site at the Jazz Yard in autumn 2024. Due to a number of unprecedented factors the completion of the development at Jazz Yard has been delayed until early 2026.

The current lease for St James Medical Practice, 47 St James Street ends in October 2024 and cannot be extended. The practice has been working closely with ICB to put temporary arrangements in place. 
After considering several different options, the most suitable option for the practice and patients is to temporarily relocate to other premises until the new development at Jazz Yard is ready in early 2026. We appreciate this decision may be unsettling for our patients; however, we will ensure that any disruption to patient services is kept to a minimum and we will continue to support patients throughout this process. 

What does this mean for you as a patient?

You will continue to be registered as a patient with the practice. There is no action for you to take. The move will not affect the care you receive, and you will be able to continue to access all of the services we offer.
We will still be responsible for providing your care and will be able to access your medical records from the temporary locations and during the relocation period.

The practice will be arranging a patient engagement event prior to the move. The event will provide you with the opportunity to ask any questions. For further details about the patient engagement event see below.
We will make every effort to ensure minimal disruption to services during the relocation period and will notify you if we anticipate any delay or issues as soon as possible.

If the move to the temporary premises and the opportunity to access the practice at: 

• The Firs Medical Centre, 26 Stephenson Road, London E17 7JT
• Forest Road Medical Centre, 354-358 Forest Road, London E17 5JL

If this is not convenient for you, other local practices to join can be found by visiting the NHS website.

You can also call the NHS England customer contact centre on 0300 311 22 33.

Location of the temporary premises

A map of the temporary premises has been enclosed, which includes travel directions from the existing site to the new premises. 

Please note that the new premises will not have any patient parking facilities although there may be two disabled parking bays at The Firs.

Where can I access further information regarding the relocation?

To help answer any immediate queries that you may have regarding the relocation of the practice, we have put together a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in collaboration with commissioners / integrated care board, see below. Paper copies will also be available at the practice reception.

Contacting us

You are very welcome to contact any member of our team regarding the relocation either via telephone on 020 3233 0870.

You can also contact us online using our Contact Us form.

Map 1

St James Medical Practice to The Firs Medical Centre, 26 Stephenson Road, London E17 7JT 
(0.3 miles).

Travel options:

• Walk: Approximately 6 minutes
• Car: Approximately 3 minutes
• Possibly 2 disabled parking bays
• Public transport:
• Bus Route: 230, 158, 212, 275, 58, W19, W15, W12 towards Walthamstow central / Walthamstow market, Coppermill lane.
• Nearest Underground station: Victoria Line: Blackhorse Rd, Walthamstow Central
• Nearest Overground station: Blackhorse Rd, Queens Rd, St James street

Map 2

St James Medical Practice to Forest Road Medical Centre, 354-358 Forest Road, London E17 5JL (1.0 mile)

Travel options:

• Walk: Approximately 21 minutes
• Car: Approximately 6 minutes
• Public transport: 
• Bus route 123, 212, 275, W19, 58, 230, W11 – Approximately 20 minutes
• Nearest Underground station: Victoria Line: Blackhorse Rd, Walthamstow Central
• Nearest Overground station: Blackhorse Rd, Queens Rd, St James St

Please see our Surgery Relocation FAQ page for more information.

Published: Oct 2, 2024