Concerns raised over decline in the number GP practices in NI
The number has decreased by almost 9% since 20-14
Last updated 5th Jul 2022
The number of GP practices in Northern Ireland has decreased by almost 9% over the past eight years.
As of March 2022, there were 319 active GP practices compared to the 350 in 2014.
Meanwhile, the average number of registered patients per practice has increased, by around 15%, from 5,500 to 6,340.
Despite the decrease in the number of practices, the number of GPs, excluding locums, has gone up by 20% to 1,419 since 2014.
Of these, almost six in ten are female, which is a shift in gender profile since 2014 when the majority were male.
The Western Health Trust has seen the largest proportionate decrease in GP practices at 16%, while the smallest proportionate decrease was in the Northern Trust area at 5%.
There were more than two million individuals registered with a GP practice here at the end of March, with Belfast having the largest patient population.
While Lisburn and Castlereagh had the lowest number of registered patients (120,000).
Of the first-time patients registered in NI during 2021-22, 30% were non-UK nationals.
Dr Ciaran Mullan's the Chair of the Western medical committee and a GP in The Riverside Health Centre in County Tyrone.
He the decline in GP practices is a concern.
He said: “While the figures show that there are more Doctors that’s basically everybody who has registered to work and when you are talking about working in a practice you essentially need partners that are staffing that practice on a regular basis.
“It is clear from the figures that this partnership style of working is becoming less and less attractive.
“Ultimately with the increased pressure and responsibility with being a partner in a practice it’s less attractive.
“What essentially is the concern is less practices because ultimately that’s telling us that the job of being a GP partner in a practice is becoming less attractive, particularly as you can see from the figures the reduction of practices in the West.”
In a statement the Department of Health said: “The Department of Health has established an expert GP Working Group to explore access to GP services, including demand for services, limitations of infrastructure, and staffing and resourcing.
“The Working Group will also consider how technology can be better used to provide improved access across Northern Ireland. Short term actions are being considered as part of this to help improve access for patients.
“The Department has continued to invest in the GP workforce and has increased the number of GP trainees by over 70% from 2015 levels with an increased number of GP training places for 2022/23 by 10 which brings the total number in Northern Ireland to an all-time high of 121 training places.
“This will help stabilise our GP workforce and ensure it is sustainable for the future.
“This is part of a wider programme of work including the wider roll-out of primary care Multi-disciplinary Teams as well as the introduction of Advanced Nurse Practitioners and additional General Practice Nurses, all of which are making a difference to how services are delivered in primary care and contributing to improved patient outcomes.”
It comes as Dr Alan Stout, Chair of the GP committee at the BMA, issued an alert about GPs being under pressure this week because of staff being absent because of Covid-19.
In a tweet he said: “An alert for the week ahead.
“We are getting multiple reports of many practice staff and GPs testing positive.
“They will isolate as per current guidelines, but it will leave many practices short staffed with access compromised.
“Urgent cases will be prioritised.”
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