Hailsham Medical Group (HMG), which previously ran Seaforth Farm Surgery and Vicarage Field Surgery in Hailsham, had its registration formally cancelled on April 24 by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
This means it no longer has the legal right to provide NHS services.
The regulator carried out an unannounced inspection at the Seaforth Farm site on August 7, 2025, following which conditions were imposed on the practice’s registration on August 20.
Inspectors found concerns relating to safe care and treatment, governance arrangements, and staffing levels.
Seaforth Farm Surgery is no longer being run by the Hailsham Medical Group (Image: Google)
As a condition of its continued registration, HMG was required to submit weekly audits of unfiled test results, details of urgent results not acted upon within 24 hours, and monthly reviews of significant events.
A follow-up inspection at Seaforth Farm Surgery on November 11 found that the practice had made insufficient improvements.
Inspectors found that clinical records were conflicting, inaccurate, or missing, and that there was ineffective oversight of staff in advanced clinical roles.
They also found that leaders had failed to create a culture where staff felt able to speak up, and that patients had experienced unexplained delays in the diagnosis of diabetes.
Following that inspection, the regulator issued a notice of proposal to terminate HMG’s registration.
HMG submitted an appeal against the cancellation proposal, but NHS Sussex concluded that appointing a new provider was the safest course of action for the approximately 11,150 patients registered with the group.
Vicarage Field Surgery, which is also no longer being run by the Hailsham Medical Group (Image: Google)
On January 16 this year, NHS Sussex launched a rapid expressions-of-interest process, inviting GP providers within an eight-mile radius of Hailsham to apply to take on the patient list.
Six bids were received, and a panel met on February 5 to review the applications.
Manor Park Surgery in Polegate, part of the Vita Healthcare group, was named as the new provider.
NHS Sussex confirmed that patients did not need to take any action and would not need to re-register, with all records transferred automatically.
Services continued to be offered from the existing Seaforth Farm and Vicarage Field premises.
An NHS Sussex spokesperson said that supporting patients and staff remained the organisation’s main priority and that it would continue working with partners, alongside NHS England, to ensure residents had access to safe, high-quality care.
A CQC spokesperson said: “We cancelled the registration of Hailsham Medical Group on April 24, 2026, following an inspection at Seaforth Farm Surgery.
“This was because we found serious concerns related to safe care, effective management and treatment of patients, and systemic failures of governance.”
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