Fears for the future of GP surgeries
PATIENTS face a growing battle to see a GP following a rise in surgery closures – with fears the pandemic could force more to shut.
An estimated 350,000 people were forced to move to a new surgery last year after 99 practices closed. It was fewer than the 138 which shut in 2018 but a far cry from 2013 when just 13 surgeries closed, figures obtained by GPs’ publication Pulse showed.
But there are concerns the Covid- 19 outbreak could prompt even more to close their doors this
year as services go online and people put off general check- ups over fears of catching the virus.
The number of full- time equivalent GPs in England is also continuing to fall – dropping by 651 to 27,605 between June 2019 and June 2020, according to figures from NHS Digital.
Experts believe surgery closures have accelerated because of rising numbers of under- pressure doctors who have opted for early retirement or decided to abandon their careers.
The capital saw 18 GP closures in 2019, affecting an estimated 61,000 patients. Dr Michelle Drage, chief executive of the Londonwide Local Medical Committee, said: “The coronavirus response poses new threats to viability, with infectioncontrol measures and increased demand further stretching resources, and lack of full reimbursement of pandemic- related expenses squeezing finances.”
Responding to the surgery closures, a spokesman for NHS England said: “While this represents a very small proportion of practices, in some cases surgeries have merged with a nearby practice and in other cases a partner may have retired.
“The expansion of primary care networks is ensuring greater availability of the right kind of appointment for patients – whether face to face or remote – and support for constituent practices.”
The number of GP appointments booked by patients in England dropped from 23.8 million in March to 15.8 million in April.
NHS Digital suggested the decline did not mean GPs were offering fewer appointments as online or video appointments were not routinely documented.