Fermanagh: Brookeborough and Tempo GP surgery's future in doubt

There are about 8,000 patients at Brookeborough and Tempo Primary Care Services in County Fermanagh

GPs at Brookeborough and Tempo Primary Care Services have given notice that they are handing back their contract.

The Department of Health has confirmed a notice period of six months.

This is the 13th returned GP contract in Northern Ireland in the past year and the third around the same area since last summer.

Issues affecting the practice - which has about 8,000 patients - include difficulties in attracting new doctors to the rural area.

Poor infrastructure and a lack of investment have also been factors.

The surgery consists of three separate GP buildings - two in Tempo and one in Brookeborough.

BBC News NI understands that some practices in Enniskillen are expressing concern about their ability to absorb their patients for the surgery should it close.

The Department of Health (DoH) has begun a process to develop alternative arrangements and said patients do not need to take any actions.

This is the third contract handed back in the Western Trust in recent months.

There is "no new blood" coming in, as one doctor put it to me.

The surgery consists of three separate GP buildings - two in Tempo and one in Brookeborough

This means no new GPs moving to the area to take over these very busy practices in a rural area where GPs are in constant demand.

The doctors that I spoke to last night and early this morning are all saying that another major problem is the lack of leadership. They have no one to turn to.

We don't have an executive in Northern Ireland, we don't have a health minister.

We don't have anyone in charge at the moment and we're not really sure who is leading the health service.

While it's the 13th contract to be handed back in Northern Ireland, we know it won't be the last.

Dromore and Trillick surgeries handed in their contract in June 2022 while Maple Healthcare in Lisnaskea returned its contract in December.

In Londonderry, which is also in the Western Trust, the GP Federation is concerned about the stability of some of its practices with talk of several having to amalgamate in order to remain open, BBC News NI understands.

'Haemorrhaging' general practice

DUP assembly member for the area Deborah Erskine said these issues "have been brewing for years" and that action must be taken "to stave haemorrhaging" in general practice.

"Over 10 years ago, it was warned that the rural areas were facing a crisis and measures needed to be implemented to have a sustainable primary care model going forward."

SDLP councillor John Coyle described the news as "extremely concerning" to patients who "now face an an uncertain future at a time when local surgeries are already under significant pressure".

Sinn Féin MLA Áine Murphy said she was calling on the Western Trust "to find an alternative urgently".

"It is vital that GP services are protected in rural areas," she added.

The DoH said a £5.5m package for general practice was announced last September to strengthen services during the winter period.

They added that they have increased GP training places in Northern Ireland to an all-time high of 121 in 2022/23 and have recently streamlined the application process for internationally qualified candidates.