Alderney's only GP practice set to close
- Published
The States of Guernsey and States of Alderney said they were working "at pace" and exploring "all available options"
Alderney's only GP practice has announced it will close on Friday.
Island Medical Limited (IML) is set to close on 6 May until further notice.
It said the obligation to provide 24/7 cover was "unsustainable and unsafe" and its current only doctor was "exhausted and in danger of burnout".
The States of Guernsey and States of Alderney said they were working "at pace" and exploring "all available options" to ensure appropriate GP cover remained in place.
In a joint statement, Guernsey Chief Minister Peter Ferbrache and Bill Abel, Chairman of Alderney's Policy and Finance Committee, said they were "very concerned" to learn from the owner of the private practice that it was to close.
They said both States were "working together at pace, and using all available resources" to "ensure the Alderney community receives appropriate GP support in the short-term".
Deputy Ferbrache told BBC Radio Guernsey the closure was "a shock" and "unsatisfactory", but was receiving "top-level attention".
He said: "There's no going into the rights and wrongs of it, the people of Alderney have got to have medical services."
The practice has provided 24/7 cover for the surgery and the hospital and is currently down to just one doctor on staff
Mr Ferbrache said temporary facilities at the island's hospital and locums were being considered "until a more permanent solution can be found".
IML said it had bought the practice in 2016 "to avert its imminent bankruptcy" but it had "made a loss every year" and the "obligation to provide 24/7 cover in the surgery and the hospital is unsustainable and unsafe".
It said it was "impossible to attract or keep good doctors on the island" and the current only doctor "worked tirelessly to do his best for our patients but is now exhausted and in danger of burnout".
It said it was glad that both States were working on the problem and it would work with them in any way possible to develop a long term safe and viable model of healthcare for the island.
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