GP closure threatens care for thousands

Thousands of patients could be left without GPs following the closure of a surgery in Kent, with the BMA warning that the crisis in general practice is worsening.

The closure of the Folkestone East surgery, which has 4,500 patients registered to it, comes as seven in eight GP practices in the area have applied to close their lists to new patients owing to safety concerns.

The closure comes as the result of severe funding and recruitment problems, which left the practice unable to meet demand, and means that thousands of patients now face disruption to their care.

Richard Vautrey, BMA GPs committee chair, said: “The closure of this surgery shows just how desperate the situation has become, as funding and recruitment problems have left many practices in the area unable to cope.

“Large numbers of patients now face disruption to their care as other local practices that are already at or over capacity will struggle to take on new patients.

“With nine in 10 practices telling us their workloads are unmanageable and a third of GP partners unable to fill vacancies, the situation is not confined to Folkestone.

“We know that in the long term the government is increasing funding and investing in recruitment programmes for general practice. These are welcome and necessary long-term steps but urgent action is also needed now to alleviate pressures, support struggling practices and ensure patient care is not disrupted by further closures.”

Christopher Lewis, Sandgate Road and Folkestone East practice manager, said: “The events that led up to the closure of the practice were a realisation that we were struggling to cope with the volume of patients at Sandgate Road and Folkestone East.

“Our senior partner had recently retired. We had tried to recruit a replacement for him. We had no luck at all. We advertised nationally, we advertised internationally. We just weren’t able to recruit a replacement.

“I think in the longer term, the government, whether it's this one or the next one, has got to make the decision that they are going to back the NHS, they are going to invest in it, they are going to do this for the long haul.

“We’re worried that there has been a reduction in funding towards health and we need to change gear and go back to the way we used to fund health in this country, make it a priority.

“But there needs to be a commitment so that people joining the profession know that they’ve got a long-term future in it.”