A federation representing 12 GP practices has refused to take on patients dispersed from a nearby surgery due to close, as it claims it was not consulted on the decision.
Yesterday Northern Ireland’s Department of Health confirmed that Fairhill Health Centre in Magherafelt, County Derry, is due to close on 31 October and that its 2,300 patients will be transferred to neighbouring practices.
But the Mid Ulster GP Federation contested the decision and said that its 12 member practices will not accept the patients, following ‘extensive discussions regarding the safety and sustainability of patient care in the area’.
It expressed ‘significant concerns’ about the proposal to disperse the patients into ‘already overstretched local practices’, and pointed out that practices were only given three weeks’ notice.
In a statement, the federation said: ‘Despite Fairhill Surgery handing back its contract over two months ago, local practices were not informed until just three weeks before the planned dispersal.
‘We would dispute that there was any significant engagement or consultation with local practices.
‘We believe that the sudden influx of patients, without sufficient resources or planning, would not only compromise the care of new patients but would also put our existing patients at risk.
‘Patient safety is our highest priority, and under the current circumstances, we simply cannot accept this dispersal.
‘The lack of urgency and the failure to engage with us constructively is deeply disappointing.’
The federation also added that practices had tried to ‘proactively address this predictable issue’ and put forward a proposed merger which was not accepted.
‘The Mid Ulster GP Federation remains committed to providing safe, high-quality care to its current patients but insists that it cannot accept additional patients under the current conditions,’ it added.
Speaking in support of the federation, the BMA said that to disperse patient across other practices in the area without consulting them first is ‘very risky’, as many of these practices are already under pressure and could themselves be destabilised.
BMA Northern Ireland GP Committee chair Dr Frances O’Hagan said: ‘The news that another practice in Northern Ireland is handing its contract back is no surprise.
‘The pressure GPs are under is unrelenting, meaning there is no will for those nearing retirement to stay on a bit longer, and there is no appetite for younger GPs to take on a practice with all of the problems associated with trying to run a financially stable business.
‘Reallocating patients, without consultation, across other practices in the area is also very risky as many of these practices are already under pressure with huge patient lists.’
She also pointed out that patients have been given ‘no choice’ as to what practice they would like to be allocated to, and there are ‘many outstanding issues’ in terms of transferring medical records across different practices and IT systems in a very short timeframe.
Dr O’Hagan added: ‘GPs are facing a complete log-jam in terms of moving people into secondary care to get timely treatment so that they do not have to keep coming back to see their GP.
‘I would not be surprised if for some of those practices who have been given no option but to take on more patients, if this will also be the final straw in terms of deciding if they can stay open.
‘We need to see some action from the Department of Health quickly to help stabilise general practice including a proper long term solution to the indemnity issue and a commitment to increasing funding for general practice right across Northern Ireland.’
The Department of Health told Pulse that GP representatives ‘have been kept informed throughout this process’ and have been briefed on the plan to disperse the patients.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: ‘The process has focused on ensuring the continuation of care for the registered patients at Fairhill and limiting the impact on their ongoing needs for access to GP services.
‘The patients will be dispersed across 13 practices, proportional to the receiving practice size, and an additional payment is being provided to the receiving practices in addition to what they will receive ordinarily under the GMS contract to facilitate new patient reviews.
‘It should be noted that practices cannot refuse patients. That said, the Department remains willing to engage positively to identify workable outcomes.’
And this is exactly why the CQC is toothless
So you are overwhelmed with patients and had enough. Do you call in the CQC to inspect you and decide that your practice is unsafe. Total collapse of primary care in Northern Ireland. But likely triggered by waiting lists that sound like virtual collapse of any elective secondary care.
“It should be noted the practices cannot refuse patients” So the practices all collapse and leave one standing. Does the DoH spokesperson realise what they are actually saying when they make this statement? It’s long past the time that this “contract” should have been challenged in the courts under Human Rights law. Sadly, our leaders appear more concerned about not rocking the boat too much.