Botley GP partners quit contract blaming staff shortages

The NHS hopes new providers will take over Botley Medical Centre

Partners in a GP practice have handed in their notice, blaming staff shortages and an increasing workload.

Dr Aintzane Ballestero and Dr Diana McEwen said they would not be able to offer patients the care they deserved in the future.

They said their contracts to run services at Botley Medical Centre and Kennington Health Centre near Oxford would end in September.

NHS commissioners said they hoped a new provider would take over the surgeries.

'National shortage'

In an online letter to patients, the GPs said their decision followed "several difficult years".

They wrote: "We have been unable to find a new partner to take on Dr Mary Akinola's workload after she retired in January.

"There is a national shortage of GPs and we have struggled to fill our vacancies right across the practice staff team.

"Despite the best efforts of the whole practice team, we feel we cannot offer you the care you deserve in the long term due our workforce shortages and significant increase in demand."

In June 2021 the practice was placed in special measures after being rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors found some patients were prescribed medicine without safe checks, as well as omissions in the recording and monitoring of care.

However the CQC's latest inspection report, published in October 2022, rated the practice as good.

Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Integrated Care Board said patients should continue to use the practice as normal.

Julie Dandridge, the board's head of primary care, said: "We will be looking for a new provider to take on the contract and exploring the possibility of neighbouring GP practices running the surgeries."