THOUSANDS of patients could lose access to vital medical services as a funding crisis threatens a Warminster surgery.

New contracts being negotiated between GPs at The Avenue Surgery and West Wiltshire Primary Care Trust could result in cutbacks in handouts for three services.

Medical staff at the surgery now claim they are worried that the ECG heart monitoring unit, the minor surgery unit and monitoring of blood samples face the chop.

If funding cannot be guaranteed by April 1 over 2,000 patients will be forced to travel to the RUH in Bath to receive treatment instead.

Peter Williams, business manager at The Avenue Surgery, said: "Everyone here is getting increasingly worried about the future and if the PCT is not able to fund these services they will undoubtedly have to stop.

"The deadline for the contracts to be finalised is April 1 and we are still not any closer to finding out how these three vital services are going to funded."

Previously The Avenue would receive funding as a General Medical Service but changes in funding have been imposed in the New Medical Services Contract issued to PCTs around the country this year.

Mr Williams said: "Every year we have over 800 patients here to use the ECG machines, which monitor the heart, and more than 1,000 for minor surgeries and blood tests.

"If we don't secure funding through negotiations with the PCT, patients in Warminster would have to go to the RUH in Bath for this kind of treatment."

Talks between the Primary Care Trust and GMS surgeries will continue over the next two weeks but The Avenue confirmed the practise was not under threat of closure.

The only three other GMS surgeries in west Wiltshire, all in Melksham, working in negotiations with the PCT have denied the contract dispute will affect patients. GPs at Gifford's and Spa Road claimed it is unlikely they will be forced to cut services, while St Damien's Surgery declined the opportunity to comment.

A spokesman for West Wiltshire PCT said: "Every PCT in the country is currently reviewing services with its GP practises because of forthcoming changes to the contract for GPs.

"Part of the review concerns the classification of core and other services, including ECG and minor surgery, that will be provided by practises under the new contract and negotiations on this subject are ongoing in west Wiltshire."