The nearly 10,000 patients of Eastfield Medical Centre may finally see a return to their local surgery next month, according to Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume.
The facility has been out of action since June 2025, when a major flood caused extensive damage, forcing staff and patients into a series of temporary locations across the community.
Speaking about the progress made in restoring the centre, Ms Hume expressed optimism that the long-running disruption for the Eastfield community is nearing its end.
"I've been working very closely with Eastfield Medical Centre, their insurers and the ICB about the reopening of Eastfield Medical Centre. And I believe it's okay to say that I'm hopeful that it'll open at the end of March, the end of next month.
So moving out of the temporary facilities and and back into the building and that will be great news for the 9 and a half thousand patients."
The road to reopening has been fraught with challenges. The original building suffered complex damage to its electrical equipment and structure, with repair costs estimated to exceed £400,000. The situation was further complicated by a second flooding incident in September 2025, which deepened the crisis for what is noted as one of North Yorkshire's most deprived areas.
During the closure, patients have faced what Ms Hume described as an "unacceptable situation," with many forced to travel miles for appointments or rely on telephone consultations. Practice Manager Tammy Stewart and Assistant Practice Manager Wendy Patterson highlighted the financial burden this placed on residents, noting that taxi fares to alternative sites like Lawrence House or St Catherine’s could cost between £10 and £20 for a return trip.
To maintain care, the medical team has been operating out of various "community hero" venues, including Fashionable Fitness on Dunslow Road and St Cecilia’s on Eastway. Ms Hume praised the resilience of the local staff and the generosity of business owners like Jaime Millard for providing clinical rooms, but she remained critical of the higher-level handling of the crisis.
The MP previously attributed the prolonged closure to a "failure of senior management" across the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), the GP service provider SSP, and the landlords, Assura. According to Ms Hume, the breakdown occurred because "everybody else thought that everybody else was doing it and nobody was".
The Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock MP, has also shared concerns regarding the duration of the closure and has sought assurances from the ICB that the matter is being resolved as quickly as possible.
For the staff, a return to their permanent home represents more than just a logistical shift; it is a chance to reunite a team that has been scattered across the Yorkshire Coast. Wendy Patterson noted that moving back into the heart of the community is vital for "the most frail, the most vulnerable patients" who rely on local access to healthcare.
As the end of March approaches, the focus remains on ensuring the building is safe and ready to welcome back the thousands of residents who have spent nearly a year navigating a fragmented primary care service.
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