A woman whose husband was being treated for cancer by an acclaimed healthcare organisation in Epsom - until its clinic was forced to shut today - said the couple is shocked and devastated at the loss of its "excellent care and staff".

Maureen Addison, from Leatherhead, contacted the Epsom Guardian this afternoon to pay tribute to the staff at the dermatology clinic in the Ebbisham Centre, in Epsom, which was run by Epsom Downs Integrated Care Services, Edics - an organisation to which patients were referred for specialist care in community clinics by GPs.

It closed its doors this morning after Surrey Downs Clinical Commissioning Group (SDCCG) chose not to renew its contract with the organisation on July 31.  The services Edics provided will now be transferred to other local healthcare providers.

Mrs Addison said that both she and her husband were treated at the Ebbisham Centre and praised its "very experienced and extremely efficient" team.

She was treated for a non-cancerous growth two years ago, while her husband is still undergoing treatment for cancer.

Mrs Addison said that he received a letter on Saturday informing him of the change, which left the couple "absolutely devastated".

She said: "It was an excellent, excellent clinic with wonderful staff.

"Each patient was treated specially and made to feel individual.  You felt like you were in safe hands and you were. 

"The staff were very, very caring.  If you had a concern you would be given the very best care and attention at all times. 

"The care was excellent all the way through and other patients felt the same - you would hear it in the waiting room.

"So many staff will lose their jobs and they are the best staff.  They will have been as shocked as we are.  We were not expecting this at all."

She said the benefits of being treated at the Ebbisham Centre clinic, was that it was "smaller" and less "impersonal" than a hospital.

Mrs Addison added: "The clinic was always busy.

"This was a group altogether for dermatology, it has won awards, we cannot believe that something so good has gone."

Have you been affected by the changes?  Contact Hardeep Matharu on the newsdesk on 0208 722 6346, email hmatharu@london.newsquest.co.uk, or leave a comment below.