PEOPLE in Warminster who need to register with a new GP as the town's Smallbrook surgery prepares to close should not worry, as doctors at The Avenue GP practice have room on their books for everyone, Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group pledged this week.

CCG chairman Dr Peter Jenkins said: "We would like to refute rumours that registration with a new practice can take between six to eight weeks to complete. This is simply not true.

"As soon as registration is made with a new practice, the patient is that practice's clinical responsibility and can be seen and treated by staff through the normal appointment system."

Staff at The Avenue, which recently employed an eighth GP partner, have set up a special patient registration line to help people transfer smoothly to the surgery, and it is one of the options on their main number, 01985 224600.

Once Smallbrook surgery in North Row closes in September some GPs from there will work out of the White Horse health centre in Westbury, which is also accepting new patient registrations.

l Last week's article mistakenly said that two GP surgeries in Warminster would be open from September, and that The Avenue surgery had seven GPs not eight. We apologise for the errors.