A Norfolk doctors surgery has been accused of not following the correct procedures before closing a neighbouring village surgery.

The Rectory Road surgery in Dickleburgh, run by Church Hill surgery in neighbouring Pulham Market, was shut down in May because the Pulham surgery did not want to pay for the necessary improvements to the Dickleburgh surgery after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection deemed it 'unfit for purpose.'

NHS England, which commissions healthcare services, has said plans to close a surgery have to be approved by NHS England before they can go ahead.

But Patrick Marney, a Dickleburgh surgery patient and member of the Save Our Surgery (SOS) group, said the surgery had been closed in May before NHS England had approved the plans.

He said: 'It is very bad that this has happened because there are an awful lot of elderly people who don't drive and it is very difficult to get transport over to Pulham surgery.' The 60 Dickleburgh patients and members of the village's Save Our Surgery (SOS) group are concerned that travelling to Pulham would be difficult as many of them are elderly and have mobility problems.

An NHS England spokesman said: 'NHS England has received an application from the practice to close the branch surgery at Dickleburgh, which we are considering carefully against NHS England policies. Any plans to close the branch surgery have to be approved by NHS England and cannot go ahead until this process has been completed.'

Nobody from the Pulham surgery was available for comment.