PHOENIX Surgery in Toothill was the first to sign up with IMH in 2017..

Over the next two years, Integral Medical Holdings would go on to sign up four more practices: Moredon Medical Centre; Eldene Surgery; Abbey Meads Medical Centre; and Taw Hill. The relationship promised partners at the GP surgeries the chance to ease crippling financial pressures and spend more time focussing on patient care.

IMH had experience supporting back office functions at surgeries across the country. But the firm had also hit headlines in 2017 after both GP partners at a Kent practice linked to the firm stood down, leaving only locum doctors.

Then in Swindon last July, the firm was accused of having the "emotional intelligence of a wounded rhino", getting rid of reception staff without informing patient participation groups.

In autumn 2018, the company brought in a new call handling hub. Based in Moredon, it was responsible for taking all the calls to the surgeries, booking appointments and dealing with repeat prescriptions. Patients complained of waiting more than an hour to get through on the phones. In November, a protest was held outside Moredon Medical Centre.

IMH boss Dr Martyn Diaper said in February 2019 it would take six weeks to turnaround performance. Six weeks on, despite more staff in the call centre, patients were still complaining of hold-ups.

And those delays became worse this month. IMH, now trading in Swindon as the Better Health Partnership, blamed a technical fault with the phones.

At the start of May, the CQC said it had issued enforcement action against IMH in the town. The CCG followed suit with a remedial notice ordering improvements. Yet the Advertiser understands it still came as a shock when GP partners were told on Tuesday the firm was withdrawing from Swindon.

It raises questions as to what happens next for the five Swindon practices. New NHS policy means all surgeries must be part of so-called primary care networks by July. NHS England said yesterday it would not currently be easing that deadline for the Swindon practices.

Yesterday, the Better Health Partnership website listing details of the five practices was simply showing an error message. It read: "The Better Health Partnership website is no longer in use."