GP shortages puts Tyrone health centre ‘in crisis’

A West Tyrone health centre which covers thousands of people has warned that it faces a crisis due to what it has described as ‘significant shortages’ in relation to the availability of GPs.

Carrickmore Health Centre has warned that it is now encountering serious shortages in relation to its current GP coverage, and that there may be some days when there are only one or two GPs in the building.

“The doctors will be doing their upmost to provide an ongoing service for their patients in these scenarios, however, this may result in acute/emergency coverage only,” the Health Centre said.

“All measures to increase GP coverage are being exhausted continually and Strategic Planning and Performance Group (SPPG) and Department for Health have been notified of our circumstances.”

Last year, doctors at the practice – which covers thousands of patients in the Carrickmore, Pomeroy, Beragh, Greencastle, Sixmilecross and other areas – warned that there would be ‘serious repercussions’ if major investment did not take place in investing in new facilities. It said it had stopped registering new patients in 2021 due to the lack of space.