A DEESIDE surgery will not be closing, despite rumours circulating - a health board has confirmed.

The Leader previously reported that St Mark's Surgery was branded a 'disaster waiting to happen' after dozens of patients with appointments booked were left in the dark after the practise closed unexpectedly.

Patients also described how it was 'impossible' to get through to make an appointment.

The Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board has since confirmed the surgery is not closing and there is no need for patients to re-register with neighbouring GP practises.

Simon Jones, Assistant Director of Primary Care (East), said: "We are putting in additional resources to improve access to support, as we continue to adapt to the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic.

"These challenges include catching up with a large backlog of routine work that had to be suspended to support the COVID-19 response, unprecedented new demands for care, national recruitment difficulties, continued COVID-19 restrictions - including the continued need for social distancing, and the ongoing vaccination programme.

"In the coming days we will be writing to all patients who are registered with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board run GP practices in the area to set out the pressures facing primary care services and explain how their enquiry will be managed when they call their local practice.

"We would like to thank people for their patience and understanding as we work together to meet these unprecedented challenges."

The Health board previously apologised after the surgery closed on June 28 due to staffing issues.

Dr Chris Stockport, Executive Director of Primary and Community Care, said: "I would like to apologise for the problems that patients experienced at St Mark's Dee View Surgery on Monday 28th June. We do everything possible to ensure that all GP practices are fully staffed but there are very rare occasions where it isn’t possible to cover the GP shifts. On the day in question at St Mark's there were two doctors absent due to sickness.

"In this situation, we would normally put processes in place to ensure that patient’s needs can still be met. This can be either through providing an appointment with another member of the clinical team, arranging an appointment with the GP on the following day or arranging an urgent appointment at another Practice.

"At St Mark’s on the day in question it would appear that these options were not explained to patients, and this must have been distressing for patients contacting the surgery. This service that patients received on that day falls below the standard that they can expect, and we are carrying out an urgent review of systems and process at St Mark's to ensure that there is no repeat of these problems."