The future care of 11,400 residents has been thrown into doubt after a health group announced it would stop running five GP surgeries.
The Practice Group has announced its intention to terminate its contract for five surgeries in Brighton and Hove following a dispute over funding.
Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas has urged healthcare bosses to think again and warned other city surgeries could not cope with additional patients if the surgeries did close.
Staff are said to be very worried by the development following around two weeks of rumours about the future of the surgeries. NHS bosses have moved to reassure patients that their immediate care is not at risk and that this would not be a repeat of the Goodwood Court closure last June which left 10,000 patients without a doctor.
The Practice Group has given notice that they will be pulling out of their contract at the end of June with Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group expected to take over its running after that if an alternative provider is not found.
Full story in The Argus 16 January 2016