Recruitment crisis: GP surgery forced to deregister patients

Recruitment crisis:  GP surgery forced to deregister patients

A GP surgery has been forced to deregister 1,500 patients because of a recruitment levels according to a report from Pulse. They have published an article stating “recruitment problems have meant partners’ workload is above ‘clinically safe’ levels”

Watton Medical Practice is based in Norfolk, they have been trying to recruit for two new GPs to replace doctors who have previously left the practice. They have been forced to write to patients and ask them to find an alternative GP surgery because of fears the ratio of patients to GP means they could be compromising patient care standards, a move unacceptable to the practice.

Mary Osborne, practice manager at Watton Medical Practice, is quoted as saying “it was an immensely difficult decision to make but that because recruitment efforts have failed, the list review is the only option left to ensure services are safe for patients”

However there are now fears the effects this could have on other local GP practices and surgeries as patients try to find a new local GP, the strain of having too many patients could just move from one practice to another creating a local crisis rather than an individual practice crisis.

Sonia Browne, director of Dream Medical a specialist GP recruitment agency commented “recent comment from the NHS indicates the recruitment of GPs is a national issue. We are aware of GP practices using golden hello tactics to attract the best talent. One other method is the assistance of helping with student debt for newly qualified doctors who commit to long term patient care within a GP practice. There is also the bigger issue, not just the recruitment of GPs that needs addressing but also the retention of valued doctors”