ONE in five GP surgeries in London is threatened with closure within three years because of lack of staff, funding and pay, the Local Medical Committees (LMCs) warned yesterday.
An LMC survey of GP practices in the capital has shown that, as a result, almost one million people in London could lose their GP. Michelle Drage, chief executive of Londonwide LMCs, said: ‘Half our practices are short of a member of staff, a third are missing at least one GP and 128 practices, covering over 900,000 patients, can’t rule out handing back the keys within three years.’
Dr Drage added: ‘Hero GPs are working flat out to cover the gaps’ but they are now at breaking point and urgently need more resources and more support before it is too late.’
Londonwide LMCs, which received responses from 644 of London’s 1,330 GP practices, found that one in five (20%) cannot rule out handing back their contracts. Out of these, 19 practices, which together cover 116,491 patients, said they are planning closure within the next three years while a further 20 practices said they were considering closing within three years.
The number of patients who face losing their GP rises to over 900,000 when those respondents who said they ‘could not rule it out’ were included, according to Londonwide LMCs calculations. The LMCs said: ‘The boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea and Barnet are worst affected, and may lose five and four practices respectively.’
The survey also found:
• 199 practices (31%) have a GP vacancy, including 50 with a current partner vacancy
• When including all staff groups, half (49%) of practices have a vacancy
• On average, salaried and partner GP vacancies have gone unfilled for eight months
• 44% of practices (248) have GPs planning on retiring in the next three years
• Among practices planning closure, 62% struggle with unfilled vacancies.
Asked why they think filling vacancies is so difficult, half of London GP practices said the reason is financial uncertainty about the future of GP surgeries. They also pointed to low morale within the GP profession (45%), pay (43%) and a lack of suitable candidates (41%).
In order to cope with their situation, 13% of practices said they were ‘considering reducing services’. The number of patients being displaced by surgery closures rose by 50% last year, with 200,000 patients in 2015 forced to register with a new GP or travel further to see their existing GP.
