Londonderry: Future of Bridge Street GP practice in doubt

The Bridge Street Family GP practice have notified the strategic planning and performance group (SPPG) to hand back their contract

The future of a Londonderry GP practice is in doubt after it handed back its contract to deliver services.

The Bridge Street Family GP practice has notified the strategic planning and performance group (SPPG) of its intention to hand back its contract.

BBC News NI understands that the practice has about 4,800 patients.

Meanwhile, a new contractor has been appointed to take over a GP practice in Ballymena that had been threatened with closure.

The Londonderry practice's contract is due to end on 31 July.

News of its threatened closure follows the announcement of a similar move in December by Racecourse Medical Group GP Practice in the Shantallow area of Derry.

In a statement, the Department of Health (DoH) said it would now begin a recruitment process to put new arrangements in place to deliver GP services.

"The department want to reassure patients that Bridge Street Medical Practice will continue to retain the contract to deliver GP services for the next six months," it said. 

"Patients at the practice do not need to take any action" and "should continue to contact the practice as normal".

The DoH said it will be writing to all practice patients to keep them informed as this process begins.

'Clock starts ticking'

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's Mark Patterson Show, Dr Alan Stout, co-chair of the British Medical Association's GP committee, said "far too many contracts are going back".

"Whenever a practice decides they are not viable any more and cannot continue to practice, they give notice to the board or the department that they are no longer going to provide those services," he said.

When a contract is handed back, "the clock starts ticking", he added, as there is a six-month notice period to hand back the contract.

"That is when the frantic work starts to either get new doctors, a new contractor, or something to maintain that practice," he added.

"That is why patients are asked not to leave or move as all that work goes on, and hopefully at the end of those six months or sooner - if it can be achieved - is a new contractor."

Dr Stout said two practices in Derry handing their contracts back was very problematic.

"We are talking about some very deprived areas and this is where we know there are health inequalities," he added.

The DoH confirmed that a new GP contractor had been appointed to provide GP services to the patients of Ballymena Family Practice.

The new contractor is the Federation Support Unit (FSU GP Practice Management CIC).

The department said the move followed extensive work to identify a new GP contractor to take over the practice, following the termination of the contract by the previous contractor in September.

All 3,273 patients of Ballymena Family Practice have been automatically registered with the new practice, the it said.