DOCTORS have warned millions of pounds of new government spending on waiting lists will be wasted if GP surgeries continue to close at the current rate - as thousands of patients were this week left without a practice.
Ravenbank in east Belfast will close in March and doctors in Antrim Road Medical Centre in the north of the city "will be resigning on June 30".
The Health and Social Care Board is frantically trying to find "a replacement doctor/practice to care for the patients" after Dr Michael MacSorley and Dr Nuala McMahon leave in the summer.
However, with 23 GP practices closed between 2014-2019, their professional body has warned that fewer GPs makes recruitment difficult.
"GPs and our teams are working to our absolute limits to provide safe, high-quality care, while under intense pressure," Dr Laurence Dorman, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGPNI) said.
"When a practice closes for whatever reason it is incredibly difficult for everyone involved - especially patients. Generations of institutional knowledge about patients and their families can be lost and there also follows a ripple effect, where neighbouring practices become at risk of destabilisation."
RCGPNI research showed 32 per cent of family doctors "feel so stressed that they can't cope at least once or twice a week" and 25 per cent "do not see themselves still in general practice in five years time".
Representatives had a "very good meeting" with health chiefs this week, but Dr Dorman said reform of primary care must be accelerated to retain experienced doctors and attract new recruits.
It wants a "full roll out" of Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) across Northern Ireland, where doctors, physiotherapists, mental health professionals and social workers are together in practices.
Family doctors have been the first point of contact for all issues and then make referrals to specialists, which, with falling GP numbers, has seen delays for doctors' appointments.
There are MDT pilots in west Belfast, Newry, Causeway, Down and Derry.
While yet to be formally evaluated, Dr Dorman said in Down early physiotherapist involvement has seen a nine per cent reduction in hospital orthopaedics referrals.
There and in Derry "early feedback" show falls in re-attendance, prescribing and pressure on GP time.
The RCGPNI warned the recent commitment to plough resources into bringing down waiting lists will only be a temporary fix unless the crisis in primary care is dealt with.
A department spokeswoman said only five GP practices have closed, with the rest "mergers which saw smaller GP practices amalgamating with larger practices making them more sustainable for the future... (and) offered patients more primary care services and access to more clinical staff".
She added GP training places have "been significantly increased over the last few years" and "multi-professional approach is central" to reforms.
