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11,000 patients forced to find new GP as four more practices close

Four practices in Liverpool are set to close in the next three months, leaving 11,000 patients to find a new GP.

The practices, which have been run by Healthaction since 2017, announced they were closing because of difficulties recruiting GPs and having to rely on locums.

The not-for-profit primary care provider said using locums was ‘unsustainably expensive and cannot deliver the continuity of care that our patients expect and deserve’.

A Healthaction spokesperson said: ‘As a result, we have decided to withdraw from these practices. Our priority at this stage is our patients. NHS Liverpool CCG is working to identify alternative practices locally.’

The four APMS practices to close are:

  • Healthaction Breeze Hill, Rice Lane
  • Healthaction Robson Street Medical Centre, Mere Lane Neighbourhood Health Centre
  • Healthaction Stanley Medical Centre, Stanley Road
  • Healthaction Childwall, Childwall Road

report that will be presented next week to Liverpool City Council by NHS Liverpool CCG said: ‘Healthaction have provided six-months’ notice, as required in their contract.

‘The CCG is therefore working to a challenging timescale, and at this stage is of the view that delaying the decision to close these practices pending a public consultation would make it harder to ensure that patients were continuing to receive safe care.’

The CCG added in a statement: ‘NHS Liverpool CCG is currently working with local practices to agree a process for transferring patients – as soon as this is agreed all patients will receive a letter from the CCG telling them what will happen next.’

This comes after a Pulse investigation revealed that nearly 450 GP surgeries have closed, which GP leaders said could have ‘serious ramifications’ on neighbouring surgeries.