THE unexpected closure of a GP surgery in west Belfast which is reported to have 3,000 patients on its books has been described as "an incredibly worrying situation".
A sign on the door of the Glen Road doctor's surgery this week directed patients to Carrick Hill Medical Centre. The sign, erected outside the Dr Crossin and Dr Higgins Practice, asked patients to contact a phone number "for all enquiries".
In a letter sent to local councillors and assembly members, the practice wrote: "Prior to the pandemic, the practice was struggling with increased workload and increased patient demand but was managing to continue to offer GMS at both sites.
"In recent years the practice has been facing additional challenges due to the shortage of GPs working in the practice, and more recently supporting staff including administration, pharmacists and nursing staff. Despite multiple advertisements, both locally and nationally, we have been unable to recruit new GPs. The practice has been working with a shortfall of GPs for some years and we have the impending retirement of two GPs in the next five months.
"In the past six months, we have had to relocate GMS solely to the Carrick Hill site on a Monday, Thursday and Friday only".
The practice said a shortage of GPs had also led to the reduction in "non-essential services".
Following news that an existing GP "will now be off on extended leave due to sad personal circumstances", the practice said a decision to "regroup some of our services to Carrick Hill Medical Centre effective from Monday 7th November 2022".
It added: "We are in the process of applying to close the branch site, the Glen Road Surgery".
Gerry Carroll, People Before Profit assembly member, said it was an "incredibly worrying situation that could see patients denied basic healthcare.
"People from this community can't be expected to travel to north Belfast to visit a GP," he said.
"Those patients who are sick or vulnerable may not be able to. Long-term disinvestment in our NHS has had disastrous implications for primary care. More and more GP surgeries are scaling down services and, in some cases, closing for good due to mounting financial pressures and staff shortages."
Mr Carroll said he intended to "engage with the Glen Road GP surgery, the local community, and staff with a view to maintaining this vital community asset".
