A SOUTH Zeal patient has raised concerns that staffing upheavals at his local GP surgery could point to an uncertain future for the practice. On October 31, Robert Arnheim from South Zeal was one of the registered patients at the Okement Primary Care Centre at Okehampton Community Hospital who received a letter informing them that Dr Keith Gillespie and Dr Susan Taheri would be leaving the practice before the end of the year. Mr Arnheim wrote back to the primary care team for Mid Devon to voice his concerns. He said: 'I hope you will forgive the Lady Bracknell comparison when I suggest that to lose one doctor — from a two doctor practice — may be unfortunate, but to lose both, verges on carelessness.' But Devon PCT, formerly Mid Devon PCT. says it wants to reassure people it remains committed to the surgery, and patients will not notice any change in the level of care they receive. Mr Arnheim praised the 'pleasant and capable atmosphere created by Dr Gillespie' which he said was 'wonderfully reassuring'. Mr Arnheim said he was concerned the trust did not appear to have found permanent replacements and felt comments in the original letter about keeping patients updated as to the 'future development' of the practice were 'seriously ominous'. Dr Gillespie will be leaving the practice at the end of November to take up a new post in South Devon and Dr Taheri will be leaving at the end of December to undertake further postgraduate study. Dr Simon Jones and Dr Lucy Cowell have been appointed by the trust as their replacements for the next six months. A spokesperson for the trust said there would be no change in the standard of service patients could expect to receive. He said once the trust had learned of the two doctors' departure, it had moved quickly to appoint two long-term locums to make sure 'there was a continuity for patients'. The trust also pointed out it is not the first time the two incoming doctors have treated patients in Okehampton; both the male and female doctor have had previous experience working in the town, albeit on an occasional basis.