Medical group to end Moffat and Lockerbie GP services after a year

The medical group took over the two south of Scotland practices in April this year

A medical group has decided to stop providing GP services at two south of Scotland practices less than a year after taking them over.

Alba Medical Group started running the Moffat and Lockerbie sites in April.

It will end its contract on 31 May next year, prompting a tendering process to find new providers.

The practices - which serve nearly 10,000 people - were run by the local health board for a number of years prior to Alba taking over.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway's deputy medical director Dr Grecy Bell said the group felt it had "no option" but to make the decision.

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"It follows the awarding of the contract in April, when Alba took on the challenge of strengthening the services offered at these practices," she said.

"This came after staffing had decreased within both practices, and the board had assumed direct control and management.

"Restoring them was always going to be a challenge, and it was always going to take time."

She said Alba had tried to make changes to make the practices more sustainable and establish a team with a "wide range of skills".

However, she said it had come at an "incredibly challenging time" to achieve "understanding and acceptance" of the changes needed.

GPs in 'short supply'

"Alba are within their rights to relinquish the contract for these practices, but it means that just eight months after the process to award the contract the work now begins to attract an alternate provider," added Dr Bell.

"Work has begun to invite expressions of interest from GP providers who would wish to assume responsibility for GP services out of Moffat and Lockerbie.

"As is well established, GPs nationally are in short supply, and finding GP partnerships to take on practices can be very difficult - especially once a practice becomes board-managed."

She said efforts would be made to promote the contracts for the two towns "as vocally and widely as possible".