Another GP contract has been handed back in Ballymena, Co Antrim, the latest in a series of practice closures in Northern Ireland.
Partners at Ballymena Family Practice, which is reported to have more than 3,000 registered patients, handed back the contract on 30 September
The Irish News has now reported that Bernaghmore Practice, which has approximately 3,840 patients registered and is based in the same health centre, has notified the Department of Health (DOH) of its intention to hand its contract back on 31 May 2023.
The DOH said the contract would be advertised ‘imminently’ and applications sought from interested parties, with the practices continuing to offer services ‘as normal’ in the meantime.
The department also said it was ‘finalising arrangements’ for a potential new contractor to take over at Ballymena Family Practice following a late proposal, which it hoped would complete by 31 January 2023. The existing contract holder has agreed to maintain the contract during January until the process is completed.
Maple Healthcare in Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, which is one of the largest GP practices in Northern Ireland with more than 14,000 patients on its list, handed back its contract last month, citing ‘excessive stresses and intolerable pressure’, as has Flax Medical Centre in Ardoyne.
The DOH told Pulse the Strategic Planning and Performance Group had advertised the contract ‘widely’ for Maple Healthcare and that interviews were scheduled to take place before Christmas.
Dr Alan Stout, the chair of BMA Northern Ireland’s GP Committee, asked for urgent help for the profession, which he said was ‘in real trouble’ last month, despite a £5.5m financial support package announced for GPs in Northern Ireland at the end of September.
In the summer, BMA NI chair Dr Tom Black warned that 22 GP practices in Northern Ireland were at risk of closure due to increased demand and loss of doctors. The DOH did not comment on how many practices were currently being assisted by the department’s ‘crisis team’.
According to DOH figures, there were 319 active GP practices in Northern Ireland at 31 March 2022, a fall of just under 9% compared with the 350 active in 2014. Meanwhile, its figures also said the number of GPs (excluding locums) increased by 20% to 1,419 over the same period.
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