Councillor warns of ‘challenges’ as Fintona GP future uncertain

PATIENT care in the west Tyrone area is being ‘undermined’ because local health services no longer have the capacity to meet demand in rural areas, an Omagh GP has warned.

Outlining the stark situation facing local GP practices, in particular, Dr Jo Deehan, who is also an independent councillor for Omagh, claimed the knock-on impact of the crisis is leading to ‘very significant’ health challenges.

Her comments at the monthly meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on Tuesday night come just weeks after doctors at the Fintona Group Practice said they would be handing back their contract from the end of next March.

Just last year, the Western Health Trust took over the contract for the Dromore and Trillick GP practice.

Now, the Department of Health’s Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) is preparing to enter discussions with the Western Trust to take over the Fintona contract.

West Tyrone councillor, Stephen McCann, also called for more information to be provided by the Department of Health on their plans to introduce a new ‘Attract, Recruit and Retain’ campaign for GPs.

Voicing her reservations, Dr Deehan told the meeting that past experience meant she didn’t expect efforts to find a new GP for Fintona to be successful.

“How many times have we, as a council, communicated with the Department of Health regarding the delivery of primary care and the crisis that currently exists in primary care services?” she asked.

“The fact is that we do not have the capacity to meet the demand, and that is having a knock-on effect in undermining patient care, leading to very significant health challenges for our patient population.

“We are seeing the outworkings of Covid, the exceptionally-long waiting times for secondary care service and the change in acute service provision at the South West Acute Hospital. This is a matter of huge concern.

“I feel sad for the hardworking GPs in the Fintona Group practice who have given such dedicated service to their patients over the years.”

The meeting was told that the introduction of multi-disciplinary teams – comprising of physiotherapists, social workers and mental health practitioners – which have been hailed as the ‘saviours’ of local GP practices, had still not been put in place in this area.

West Tyrone councillor, Stephen McCann, said the Department had an ‘obligation’ to address the crisis facing GP surgeries.

“What we need is more information on what they are doing to ensure that new doctors are recruited and retained in places like Fintona,” he said. “The future of these surgeries must be secured because the alternatives simply aren’t there if they were to close. The prospect of thousands of patients seeking registration with other practices is one we must avoid.”

The Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health, Peter May, has been urged to provide more information on its new ‘Attract, Recruit and Retain’ scheme, which has been initiated to help ease the staffing situation.

In a letter to the council, Mr May said that the department is continuing to work with GP practices to maintain the provision of general medical services.