LMC raises concern over issue of closing London GP practices

A new ComRes Londonwide LMCs Workforce Survey of GP practices has revealed the 30 per cent of practices are considering terminating their practice in the next three years.

The respondents to the survey suggested that one in three practices were planning to close, were unaware of the practice’sfuture, or could not rule out the possibility of closure. The issue could affect nearly 1.5 million patients.

The study also revealed that 37 per cent of responding practices reported a GP vacancy, an increase of six per cent on the last survey’s findings.

Dr Michelle Drage, chief executive of Londonwide LMCs, argued: “Half of London’s general practices are short a key member of staff, over a third are missing at least one GP. Whilst the remaining GPs, practice nurses and their teams are working flat out to fill in the gaps, they’re at breaking point and need help to deal with the growing complexity of London’s health needs.

“Without increased support, the future of community general practice looks decidedly gloomy: delivering current service with fewer staff is unsustainable and unsafe in the long term, let alone stretching to an extended seven day services.”