RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans has welcomed the Prime Minister’s comments on the proposed closure of the Slaidburn County Practice ahead of his meeting with NHS bosses.

Mr Evans brought up the subject last week in the House of Commons and asked if Mr Cameron would look into the issue.

If the Townend surgery closes, more than 1,000 patients will face journeys of eight miles or more to see a doctor in Clitheroe.

More than 2,000 people signed a petition against the closure and it was presented to Mr Evans when he visited the centre in August.

Mr Evans is to meet NHS England’s national director for commissioning development, Rosamond Roughton, on Monday with Dr Karen Massey from the practice.

Mr Cameron said: “NHS England is committed to considering, with the General Practitioners Committee of the BMA and other stakeholders, how to handle the very small number of significant outlier practices for which different contracting arrangements may need to be considered to ensure appropriate services for their local population.”